SUPERSTAR (ΣΟΥΠΕΡΣΤΑΡ)
-Sea Jets
ex-SUPERFERRY II (ΣΟΥΠΕΡΦΕΡΡΥ ΙΙ) for Golden Star Ferries (2011-2021)
Built in 1974 (age 50). Registered in Piraeus. Current line: None (under refit in Salamina)
The legendary SUPERSTAR, formerly known as the SUPERFERRY II, considered to be the greatest day ferry in Greek coastal service history, and which spent 30 years connecting Rafina with the Cyclades, was built in 1974 in Belgium. She was initially known as the PRINCE LAURENT of the Belgian company Regie voor Maritiem Transport (RMT), which was part of the British conglomerate Sealink. She entered service on the Ostend-Dover line. She collided with a quayside of Dover in 1978, but she was quickly repaired afterwards. She was transferred to Townsend Thoresen in 1985. She was then transferred to P&O European Ferries in 1987, and she continued to serve the Ostend-Dover line. Her company then traded as Oostende Lines in 1991. She was sold in 1992 to the Greek company Strintzis Lines and she was renamed IONIAN EXPRESS. She underwent a major conversion in Perama, whereupon her garage was enlarged, while she underwent a full renovation of her indoor areas (including the removal of several cabins), and she acquired a remodeled bow, an improved stern and the addition of balconies above her bow. She was ultimately renamed SUPERFERRY II and she began service in 1993 on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos-Syros-Astypalaia-Kalymnos-Kos-Nisyros-Tilos-Rhodes line on the Cyclades and on the Dodecanese, before remaining solely on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos-Syros line in 1994, where she went on to be a massive success. She remained with Strintzis Lines until the latter was taken over in 2000 by Attica Group, with the new company being named Blue Star Ferries. She remained in service on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos line for the next ten years, initially under the Blue Ferries division from 2000 to 2004 and then under Blue Star Ferries from 2004 to 2010. She also occasionally operated on the Piraeus-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos line when her fleetmates would undergo their annual winter refits. In 2010 she collided with the main pier of the port of Tinos, thus ending her Blue Star Ferries career. She was subsequently bought by the newly-established Greek company Golden Star Ferries, which is based in Andros. After a small conversion that included the addition of a new bulbous bow in Piraeus, she began service in 2011 on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos-Naxos line, where she was once again extremely successful. She returned to Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos line in 2013. With the arrival of her new fleetmate, namely the SUPERFERRY, in 2016, she was deployed on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos-Naxos-Paros line. She returned to the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos line in 2017, after having undergone a major renovation in Perama. The following year, she and the SUPERFERRY were deployed on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros-Ios-Santorini-Heraklion line, thus marking the first-ever connection of Rafina with Crete. In 2019, she and the SUPERFERRY were deployed on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros-Santorini-Heraklion line. In 2020 she was deployed on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros line. In 2021 she returned to the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos-Naxos-Paros line. Later in that same year, she was sold to Sea Jets, and she was renamed SUPERSTAR. She resumed service on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros line in 2022. In 2023, after 30 successful seasons in Rafina, the ship was deployed on the Volos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line on the Sporades.
PHOTOS (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022):
The SUPERFERRY II heading from Ios to Paros (6/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II heading from Ios to Paros (6/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II heading from Ios to Paros (6/2018).
The iconic SUPERFERRY II seen heading from Ios to Paros (6/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II heading towards Mykonos (6/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II approaching the port of Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II approaching the port of Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II approaching the port of Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II heading towards the port of Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II heading towards the port of Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II heading towards the port of Paros (7/2018).
The legendary SUPERFERRY II having arrived in Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II preparing to maneuver in Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II preparing to maneuver in Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II preparing to maneuver in Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II beginning to maneuver in Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II beginning to maneuver in Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II maneuvering in Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II maneuvering in Paros (7/2018).
The SUPERFERRY II docking in Paros (7/2018).
The legendary SUPERFERRY II seen from the picturesque Oia village, heading towards the port of Santorini (7/2019).
The SUPERFERRY II seen heading towards the port of Santorini (7/2019).
The SUPERFERRY II seen in Rafina during the morning (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen in Rafina during the morning (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen in Rafina during the morning (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II preparing to depart the port of Rafina (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen departing Rafina (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen departing Rafina (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II having left Andros and heading towards Tinos (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen heading towards the port of Gavrion in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen heading towards the port of Gavrion in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen heading towards the port of Gavrion in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II on her way towards the port of Gavrion in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen heading from Andros to Tinos (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen heading from Andros to Tinos (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen arriving in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen arriving in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen arriving in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II about to enter the port of Gavrion in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II about to enter the port of Gavrion in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II about to enter the port of Gavrion in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II entering the port of Gavrion in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II entering the port of Gavrion in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II entering the port of Gavrion in Andros (8/2020).
The legendary SUPERFERRY II seen in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II beginning her maneuvering procedure in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II beginning her maneuvering procedure in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II beginning her maneuvering procedure in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen docking in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen docking in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II having just docked in Andros (8/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen in Piraeus, as she was temporarily replacing the PREVELIS of ANEK Lines on the Kasos-Karpathos lifeline while the latter was undergoing her annual refit (9/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen in Piraeus, as she was temporarily replacing the PREVELIS of ANEK Lines on the Kasos-Karpathos lifeline while the latter was undergoing her annual refit (9/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen in Piraeus, as she was temporarily replacing the PREVELIS of ANEK Lines on the Kasos-Karpathos lifeline while the latter was undergoing her annual refit (9/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen in one of her occasional appearances in the port of Piraeus (9/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II resting in Piraeus (9/2020).
The SUPERFERRY II seen arriving in Mykonos (7/2021).
The SUPERFERRY II seen arriving in Mykonos (7/2021).
The SUPERFERRY II seen arriving in Mykonos (7/2021).
The SUPERFERRY II making her way towards the new port of Mykonos (7/2021).
The SUPERFERRY II seen maneuvering in Mykonos (7/2021).
The SUPERFERRY II seen maneuvering in Mykonos (7/2021).
The SUPERFERRY II seen maneuvering in Mykonos (7/2021).
The SUPERFERRY II completing her maneuvering procedure in Mykonos (7/2021).
The SUPERFERRY II seen docking in Mykonos (7/2021).
The SUPERFERRY II seen docking in Mykonos (7/2021).
The legendary SUPERFERRY II having just docked in Mykonos (7/2021).
The SUPERFERRY II seen docked in Mykonos (7/2021).
The SUPERFERRY II seen sailing from Tinos to Andros (7/2021).
The SUPERFERRY II seen sailing on the Cyclades from Tinos to Andros. This was my last-ever picture of the ship under her iconic name, and under the livery of Golden Star Ferries. Just three months after this picture was taken, she was sold to Sea Jets, for whom she now operates as the SUPERSTAR (7/2021).
My first picture of the legendary ferry as the SUPERSTAR (after having previously been known as the SUPERFERRY II for 28 years) and under the livery of Sea Jets Ferries. She is seen arriving in Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen arriving in Rafina, during her first season with Sea Jets (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen arriving in Rafina, during her first season with Sea Jets (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen undergoing her maneuvering procedure in Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen undergoing her maneuvering procedure in Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen as she is docking in Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR having just docked in Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR having just docked in Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR having just docked in Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen resting in Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen resting in Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen resting in Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR departing the port of Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR departing the port of Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR departing the port of Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen as she departs Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen as she departs Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen as she departs Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR leaving the port of Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR leaving the port of Rafina (10/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen undergoing her drydock in the Main Vassiliadis Drydock as part of her annual winter refit (12/2022).
The SUPERSTAR seen undergoing her drydock in the Main Vassiliadis Drydock as part of her annual winter refit (12/2022).