MS Berlioz

SeaFrance Berlioz
Career
Name:	2012 - Present: Berlioz 2005 - 2012: SeaFrance Berlioz
Owner:	2005 - 2012SeaFrance 2012 - onwards Eurotunnel
Operator:	2005 - 2012 SeaFrance 2012 - onwards MyFerryLink
Port of registry:	Calais, France
Route:	Dover-Calais
Builder:	Chantiers Atlantique, France
Yard number:	032
Launched:	14 October 2004
In service:	30 March 2005
Identification:	IMO number: 9305843
Status:	In Service
General characteristics
Tonnage:	33,796 GT (gross tonnage)
Length:	185.82 m (610 ft)
Beam:	27.7 m (91 ft)
Installed power:	2 x Wärtsilä 8L46B, 2 x Wärtsilä 12V46B diesels, 9,000kW
Speed:	25 kn (46.30 km/h)
Capacity:	1900 passengers, 2000 lane metres (120 lorries or 700 cars)

MS Berlioz is a passenger and roll-on roll-off car and commercial vehicle ferry operated by MyFerryLink on the Dover - Calais route. She was built in 2004 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique (Yard No.032) at Saint-Nazaire, France, for SeaFrance as the SeaFrance Berlioz, and was launched 14 October 2004, entering service in 2005. The Berlioz's engines were manufactured by Wärtsilä of Helsinki, Finland.

She has a sister ship, the Rodin.

Service

The SeaFrance Berlioz carried out up to ten English Channel crossings per day with SeaFrance, in a time of 70 minutes each. In total, there are 11 decks. When in SeaFrance service the passenger areas accounted for the upper two decks, with the lower decks used for the vehicles. The passenger area included a retail space and children's play area. The retail area covered around 500m² and included a boutique and a shopping area offering clothes, cosmetics, confectionary, beer, wines and spirits. There was also a newspaper kiosk, bureau de change and information desk. On board, there were six bars and restaurants. The Latitudes café bar and the Le Parisien café were located in the ship's bow - the former on the upper deck and the latter on the lower deck. The Latitudes could seat 260 passengers with waiter service for 60 and the Le Parisien café could accommodate 350 diners. The other areas were the Relais self-service restaurant, the la Brasserie Restaurant, the Le Pub bar, which had seating for 400 people, and a commercial driver's restaurant catering for 160 people. The Relais was situated at the stern and overlooks the children's play area. It had seating for 350 customers.

After 16 November 2011, she was laid up in Calais Port, due to the commercial court ordering that Seafrance be liquidated. During her time laid up in Calais, she was involved in a collision with another vessel within the port vicinity. During a gale, with winds of around 50 Knots, she parted her moorings and drifted across the water towards the Cable Vessel Île de Batz owned by the Louis Dreyfus Group. Damage was sustained to her Starboard Bridge Wing which resulted in shattered windows and crushed roofing. Minimal damage was caused to the Île de Batz, which later departed for a nearby port for quick repairs. A Tugboat owned by the Port of Calais was soon on the scene to assist the SeaFrance Berlioz. She resumed service with MyFerryLink on 20 August 2012, dropping SeaFrance from her name.

On the 27 October 2012 the Pride Of Burgundy collided with Berlioz resulting in damage to her lifeboats, resulting in the ship being pulled out of service. The Pride of Burgundy sustained damage to her right bridge wing which was fixed in a couple of hours. All passengers due to travel on the Berlioz were transferred to MS Rodin.

Manoeuverability

Manoeuverability is important for a vessel having to make 20 port movements a day. To assist in manoeuvring at port, the vessel has four transverse thrusters, three in the bow and one in the stern. The Wärtsilä thrusters are rated at 1,800 kW each. The propellers and thrusters can be controlled individually, with the aid of a joystick, or simultaneously. It can berth in wind speeds of 50 knots without tug assistance.