MS Express Aphrodite

The MS Express Aphrodite was a ferry originally named St. Columba. Built in 1977, at the Aalborg Shipyard in Denmark, St. Columba was originally a Sealink UK ferry, operating between Holyhead and Dún Laoghaire in the Irish Sea. She laterally operated between Duba and Jeddah for Namma Shipping Lines. She was beached at Gadani for scrapping in December 2021.

Express Aphrodite at Piraeus in 2000.
History
Name	1977–1991: St. Columba 1991–1996: Stena Hibernia 1996–1997: Stena Adventurer 1997–2007: Express Aphrodite 2007–2021: Masarrah 2021: Asarrah
Operator	Namma Shipping Lines (2007–2021)
Port of registry	Gabon (2021)
Builder	Aalborg Vaerft, Denmark
Yard number	214
Launched	17 July 1976
Completed	1977
Acquired	1977
Maiden voyage	1977
In service	1977-2021
Out of service	December 2021
Identification	IMO number: 7507019
Fate	Scrapped at Gadani, Pakistan, December 2021.
General characteristics
Tonnage	11,690 GT
Length	129.2 m (423 ft 11 in)
Beam	20.6 m (67 ft 7 in)
Draught	4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power	2 × Stork-Werkspoor 16T410
Capacity	1,700 passengers 52 berths 335 cars 430 lane metres

Fire

St. Columba at Dún Laoghaire

St. Columba

On 31 January 1990, a fire broke out in the engine room of St. Columba. None of the 199 passengers on board were injured, however a fireman suffered a fractured ulna.

The Captain praised the work of the staff on board the ferry in preventing the spread of the fire, and keeping the passengers safe and re-assured. As there was too much oil to re-ignite the engines, the ship had to be towed for the remainder of the journey to Holyhead port.

Ownership by Stena Line

In 1990, Sealink was taken over by Stena Line, and with this new investment, came an £8 million re-fit for St Columba, and her name was changed to Stena Hibernia. In 1996, with the introduction of the HSS fast ferries, Hibernia was again re-named, this time as Stena Adventurer, with the intention of her moving to the English Channel to serve the Dover to Calais route. This move, however, never materialised, and Stena Adventurer was sold to Agapitos Express Ferries of Greece.

Ownership by Agapitos Express Ferries

Stena Adventurer was renamed Express Aphrodite.

Ship's names

• St. Columba (1977–1990)
• Stena Hibernia (1990–1996)
• Stena Adventurer (1996–1997)
• Express Aphrodite (1997–2007)
• Masarrah (2007–2021)
• Asarrah (2021)

Scrapping

Stena Adventurer at Belfast.

Masarrah was beached as Asarrah at Gadani Ship Breaking Yard, Pakistan, on the morning of 2 December 2021 for scrapping. She was flying the flag of Gabon at the time.

Masarrah at Safaga.

References

• https://web.archive.org/web/20110711165356/http://www.hhvferry.com/stcolumba.html
• http://www.sealink-holyhead.com/sealink/ships/st_columba_sealink/fire.html
• http://www.sealink-holyhead.com/sealink/ships/st_columba_sealink/home.html