ARIADNE (ΑΡΙΑΔΝΗ)

-Hellenic Seaways, operated by Superfast Ferries

Built in 1996 (age 29). Registered in Piraeus. Current line: Patras-Igoumenitsa-Ancona

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The beautiful ARIADNE (bearing my grandmother's name) was built in 1996 in Japan. She began her career there as the RAINBOW BELL for the Japanese company Kyuetsu Ferry, being deployed on the Naoetsu-Fukuoka line. She was laid-up in 2001 in Naoetsu. In 2002 she was sold to Shuttle Highway Line, being deployed on the Yokosuka-Fukuoka line, and two years later she was sold to the Japanese company Miyazaki Car Ferry, being renamed FERRY HIMUKA. She entered service on the Hannan-Hyūga-Miyazaki line, before being laid-up in 2006. A few months later, however, she was sold to the Greek company Hellenic Seaways, becoming their first acquisition under their new company name (they were previously known as Minoan Flying Dolphins from 1999 to 2002 and later as Hellas Flying Dolphins from 2002 to 2005) and she was renamed ARIADNE. She underwent a conversion in Perama which lasted for more than a year, and in late 2007 she was deployed on the Piraeus-Chania line, where she competed against ANEK Lines. In the winter of 2008 she was chartered to Minoan Lines in order to replace their ships on the Adriatic Sea, which were undergoing their annual refits. She was deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Venice line. Later in 2008 she was chartered to ANEK Lines, being deployed as an additional ship on the Piraeus-Heraklion line. After that summer she went to the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Ancona line, and in 2009 she was chartered to Algérie Ferries for the summer, operating on the Marseille-Oran line between France and Algeria. She repeated the same process in 2010 and in 2011 (namely a winter charter to ANEK Lines on the Adriatic Sea and a summer charter to Algérie Ferries). In 2012 however she did not operate at all, except for her usual summer charter in Algeria, followed by another charter to the Emirati company SAMC, operating on the İskenderun-Port Saïd line on the Levantine Sea. In 2013 she was again due to operate only in the summer for Algérie Ferries. Having been left over by Hellenic Seaways, she seemed like she was not a part of her company's plans, despite being one of the most modern and luxurious ferries carrying the Greek flag and despite being one of the favourite ships of Greek shipping enthusiasts (including myself). That year, she unexpectedly made a breakthrough for Hellenic Seaways. Her fleetmate, namely the NISSOS MYKONOS (today the BLUE STAR MYCONOS of Blue Star Ferries), which was operating on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line, suffered a minor fire incident, which caused her to undergo repairs for a month. She was replaced by the NISSOS CHIOS, which had been operating on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. However, there was no replacement for the latter, apart from the ARIADNE, which was being prepared for her charter in Algeria. She was therefore deployed on a temporary basis on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line, and she was a massive success, helping her company return to profitable levels. Alhough she later left for Algeria, she returned to the Northeast Aegean Sea in the winter, replacing the NISSOS CHIOS (today the BLUE STAR CHIOS of Blue Star Ferries) on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. The latter was then chartered in 2014 to the Spanish company Baleària for four years, which meant that the ARIADNE had permanently taken over the line. In 2015, she operated on the Piraeus-Samos-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Kavala line for the summer. The following year, with the introduction of the NISSOS SAMOS, she returned to the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. In 2018 she unfortunately left Greece once again, as she was chartered to the Italian company Tirrenia Di Navigazione, being deployed on the Naples-Cagliari-Palermo line. She returned to Hellenic Seaways in 2021, and she was deployed on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Santorini-Samos-Patmos-Leros-Kos-Symi-Rhodes line. In 2023 she moved back to the Adriatic Sea as she was deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line, and later in that same year she began operating under the livery of Superfast Ferries. In 2024 she was deployed on the Piraeus-Heraklion line.

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PHOTOS (2015, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023):