IONIAN SKY (ΙΟΝΙΑΝ ΣΚΑΪ)

-Agoudimos Lines (2004-2020)

Built in 1974, scrapped in 2020 (age 46). Was registered in Piraeus, Panama and Limassol. 

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A well-known ship on the Adriatic Sea, the Ro-Pax ferry IONIAN SKY was built in 1974 in Japan. She began her career there, as the SAPPORO MARU for the Japanese company Nihon Enkai Ferry. She was deployed on the Tokyo-Tomakomai line. In 1985 she was deployed on the Ōarai-Tomakomai line, before returning to the Tokyo-Tomakomai line two years later. In 1990 she was sold to the Japanese company Blue Highway Line, and she was renamed SUNFLOWER SAPPORO. She remained on the Tokyo-Tomakomai line until 1997, when she was deployed on the Osaka-Shibushi line After just one year there, she was sold to the Greek company Strintzis Lines in 1998. She was converted into a Ro-Pax ferry in Perama, was renamed IONIAN VICTORY, and was deployed on the Adriatic Sea, serving the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Ancona-Venice line on the Adriatic Sea. In 1999 she was deployed on the direct service of the Patras-Ancona line. In 2000, Strintzis Lines was purchased by Attica Group, which resulted in the creation of Blue Star Ferries. The IONIAN VICTORY joined the latter company and was renamed BLUE SKY. She became a part of the Blue Ferries division, and was deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Venice line. In late 2003 she was deployed on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line. The following year, she was sold to Agoudimos Lines, which renamed her IONIAN SKY following a refit in Perama, and kept her on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line. In 2007 she was reflagged from Greece to Panama, before switching back to the Greek flag the following year. In the summer of 2008 she was deployed on the Patras-Kefalonia-Igoumenitsa-Bari line. In 2009 she returned to the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line, after having been reflagged to the Cypriot flag. Due to the impact of the Greek financial crisis, Agoudimos Lines began to experience severe financial difficulties, which resulted in the IONIAN SKY operating only during the summer on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line between 2009 and 2012. In 2012 she was arrested by her crew in Igoumenitsa. The following year, she was chartered to NEL Lines for two years. Initially due to be deployed on the Piraeus-Lavrion-Psara-Chios-Mytilene line, she instead entered service on the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline, due to her new NEL Lines fleetmates experiencing several engine troubles which resulted in many delays and canceled trips. She was deployed on the Thessaloniki-Kavala-Limnos-Mytilene-Chios-Samos-Ikaria line. Her spell there was unsuccessful, as she was also hit by many engine troubles which eventually ended her season and her charter prematurely. She thus returned to Agoudimos Lines, which by that time had gone bankrupt, and she was therefore laid-up in Salamina, where she went on to remain for the next seven years. In 2020, after spending 22 years in Greece, she was sold for scrap to Turkey.

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PHOTOS (2019):