MS Al Andalus Express (formerly Nord Pas-de-Calais) is a freight ferry owned by Eurotunnel and operated by Naviera Armas. She was built in 1987 by Chantiers du Nord et de la Mediterranee, Dunkirk (Yard No 325) for Societe Nationale des Chemin de Fer Francais (SNCF) as a multi-purpose passenger and roll-on roll-off ferry for lorries and railway vehicles. After the introduction of Eurotunnel there was no need for a train ferry, so SNCF was losing money running her. She was acquired by SNAT and Stena Sealink in 1989, which operated the Nord Pas-de-Calais until 31 December 1995. From 1 January 1996 SNAT operated as SeaFrance. The vessel was renamed SeaFrance Nord Pas-de-Calais. SeaFrance operated until November 2011, and was liquidated on 9 January 2012. Eurotunnel won the bid for the three of the former SeaFrance vessels the original name of the vessel was restored, dropping the SeaFrance prefix. MyFerryLink started running on 20 August 2012, although Nord Pas-de-Calais joined in November 2012 following a refit. Following MyFerryLink's cessation of operations, mostly cited due to financial issues, the ferry was used directly by Eurotunnel to carry hazmat cargoes that are not allowed on regular train services.
 The Seafrance Nord Pas-de-Calais at sea
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner | |
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | Limassol;  Cyprus[1] |
| Route |
|
| Ordered | 17 July 1985 |
| Builder | Normed, Dunkerque, France |
| Yard number | 325 |
| Laid down | 1987 |
| Launched | 15 April 1987 |
| In service | 12 December 1987 |
| Identification | IMO number: 8512152[2] |
| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 13,727 GT |
| Length | 158.09 m (518.7 ft)[2] |
| Beam | 22.4 m (73.5 ft)[2] |
| Draught | 5.92 m (19.4 ft)[2] |
| Propulsion | 2 x Sulzer 16ZAV40[2] |
| Speed | 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph)[2] |
| Capacity | 80 passengers, 45 lorries and 600 metres of rail freight or 90 lorries |
Service history
editNord Pas-de-Calais was built in 1987 by Chantiers du Nord et de la Mediterranee, Dunkerque for SNCF as a train ferry. She operated on the Dover (Western Docks) to Dunkerque route; in addition, she also worked as a freight vehicle ferry between Dover and Calais. Nord Pas-de-Calais had limited accommodation for 80 passengers. She stopped running as a train ferry because of low traffic due to the opening of the Channel Tunnel which offered a much quicker option for trains to cross the border. The last sailing was from Dover on 22 December 1995.[3] The Nord Pas-de-Calais ran in a joint operation with SNAT and Stena Sealink.
She was given TOPS number 99001, previously used by MV Suffolk Ferry.[4]
SNAT
editIn 1989, ownership was changed to Societe Nouvelle d'Armement Transmanche (SNAT). On 12 July 1995 it was announced that the agreement between Stena Sealink Line and French partners SNAT would terminate on 31 December 1995. From that time onwards SNAT would trade as SeaFrance.
SeaFrance
editIn 1996, Nord Pas-de-Calais was renamed SeaFrance Nord Pas-de-Calais, operating for SeaFrance as a vehicle ferry between Dover and Calais. On 3 July 1996, she was laid up at Dunkerque and remained there until 29 November when she was introduced as an ordinary freight vessel between Calais and Dover.
In November 2011, she was laid up in Dunkerque port, due to the commercial court ordering that SeaFrance be liquidated.
Eurotunnel/MyFerryLink
editOn 20 August 2012 after Seafrance was liquidated MyFerryLink began commercial service. The SeaFance Nord Pas-de-Calais was renamed Nord Pas-de-Calais. She started service with MyFerryLink under the ownership of Eurotunnel in November 2012, after a full refit.
FRS Iberia
editRenamed Al Andalus Express and registered under the Cypriot flag, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais was chartered from Eurotunnel by FRS Iberia, and entered dry dock in Campamento, near Algeciras for refit. She currently operates between Spain and Morocco.[5]
Seaborne Freight
editIn October 2017 the ship was said by Ferry Shipping News to be lined up for use by Seaborne Freight for a freight service from Ramsgate to Ostend from "March"[6] but it was not specified in which year and was not confirmed by Seaborne. Seaborne had been contracted by the British government to provide additional ferry capacity in the event of disruption caused by a no-deal Brexit and the ship is one of the few small enough to fit Ramsgate's restricted docks.[7] However, at the beginning of February the British government announced that it was cancelling the contract as Seaborne's backers, the Irish company Arklow Shipping, had withdrawn from the agreement.[8]
References
edit- ^ "NV Nord Pas de Calais past and present". doverferryphotosforums.co.uk. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f "M/F SeaFrance Nord-Pas-de-Calais". Ferry-site.dk. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ Scotchman, Iain C; Morrison, Brian (17 January 1996). "End of an era for the train ferry". Rail (270): 13.
- ^ Harris, Roger (2006). The Allocation History of BR Diesels & Electrics (Part Six (Section B)). Roger Harris, Bromsgrove, UK.
- ^ "L'ex-Nord-Pas-de-Calais a rejoint l'Espagne". Mer et Marine. 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Category: 2017 Newsletter week 41". Ferry Shipping News. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ Bailes, Kathy (29 December 2018). "Firm proposing Ramsgate/Ostend ferry service receives 'no-deal Brexit' contract from Government". The Isle of Thanet News. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "Brexit: Seaborne Freight no-deal ferry contract scrapped". BBC News. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
