Agios Nektarios Aiginas in Piraeus, 10 November 2013

Agios Nektarios Aiginas

IMO 8969343
Built 1999, Ergoship Savas Shipyard Eleusis, Greece
Tonnage 1 091 GT
Length 75,70 m
Width 14,40 m
Draught 3,00 m
1 000 passengers
120 cars
2 MWM diesels, combined 1 211 kW
2 propellers
Speed 18 knots

If the name of this ship is giving you difficulty, you are not the only one. The Agios Nektarios Aiginas is the last ship we're looking at from my photographs from Piraeus, before moving to other things.

This little Greek ferry was built in 1999 at the Ergoship yard at Piraeus, originally under the name Panagia Skiathou. An interesting detail is that one part of her predates the rest of the ship by over three decades: her dummy funnel is originally from the 1964-built Rederi AB Slite ferry Apollo. The Apollo had been rebuilt in 1993 (at which point she was the Ydra of Ventouris Ferries) with a larger superstructure, losing her dummy funnel. This was apparently retained for several years, until installed onboard the Panagia Skiathou. After delivery, the Panagia Skiathou was set on the Volos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Pili -route of her owners North Sporades & Evia Maritime.

In 2001 the ship was renamed Agios Nektarios Aiginas, but apparently remained on the same route for the same owners. In August 2008 she was sold to ANES Ferries and moved to the Piraeus-Aigina route without a change of name. She remains on the same service at the time of writing.

The photographs below show the Agios Nektarios Aiginas departing Piraeus on the evening of 10 November 2013, photographed from onboard the Rotterdam. Click on the images to see them in larger size.

The ship really does look like the funnel isn't the only thing recycled from the 1960s.

The Agios Nektarios Aiginas sailing outside the Piraeus breakwater, with the quartet from last week (plus GA Ferries JetFerry 1) in the background.

Further out of the port. In the background you can see various other ferries and cruise ship laid up at (what I think is) Keratsini harbour.

Unlike the Rotterdam, which was trundling along at a relatively slow speed, the Agios Nektarios Aiginas had a more intensive schedule to keep and thus she quickly passed us. Sailing in slightly different direction from us, she also quickly passed beyond the range of my camera.

Next time we finally see a ship in a port different from Piraeus and instead take a look at FlyingCat 5 at Volos, Greece.