Nissos

Nissos as Alcantara Dos in Almeria
History
Name	(1995–1996): SuperSeacat France (1996): Auto Express (1996–1999): Cat-Link III (1999–2006): Tallink Autoexpress (2006–2023): Alcántara Dos (2023–present): Nissos
Owner	(1995–1996): Sea Containers (1996–1999): Cat-Link (1999–2006): Tallink (2006–2023): Trasmediterránea (2023–2026): SAOS Ferries (2026–present): Hellenic Navy / Hellenic Armed Forces
Operator	(1995–1996): Sea Containers (1996–1999): Cat-Link (1999–2006): Tallink (2006–2023): Trasmediterránea / Naviera Armas (2023–2026): SAOS Ferries (2026–present): Hellenic Navy
Port of registry	(1995–1996): Fremantle, Australia (1996–1999): Copenhagen, Denmark (1999–2006): Tallinn, Estonia (2006–2023): Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain (2023–present): Piraeus, Greece
Ordered	1994
Builder	Austal Ships Pty Ltd Fremantle, Western Australia
Yard number	37
Laid down	9 May 1994
Launched	22 April 1995
Completed	14 March 1996
Acquired	April 2026 (via donation)
Identification	IMO number: 9107203 Call sign: SVDT4 MMSI number: 224390000
Status	Undergoing military refit
General characteristics
Class & type	Austal Auto Express 79
Tonnage	4,859 GT 355 DWT
Length	78.60 m (257 ft 10 in)
Beam	23.00 m (75 ft 6 in)
Draft	2.64 m (8 ft 8 in)
Depth	7.00 m (23 ft 0 in)
Decks	5 (2 passenger, 2 vehicle)
Installed power	4 × Ruston 16RK270 diesel engines (total 22,000 kW)
Propulsion	4 × waterjets
Speed	34.0 knots (63.0 km/h; 39.1 mph) (service) 38.0 knots (70.4 km/h; 43.7 mph) (max)
Capacity	536 passengers 150 cars
Crew	24

Nissos is a 79-metre high-speed catamaran passenger ferry owned by the Hellenic Armed Forces. Built in Australia by Austal in 1995, the vessel operated under several names and flags throughout her career, serving routes in the English Channel, Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea, and Spain, before being acquired by SAOS Ferries in 2023. In April 2026, the vessel was donated by the Manousis family to the Greek military for conversion into an operational deployment, transport, and humanitarian relief vessel.

Service

The catamaran, commissioned by Sea Containers from the specialist shipyard Austal in Fremantle, was launched on 22 April 1995 under the name SuperSeaCat France, but during sea trials it proved too slow compared to the time it was contracted, leading the British group to terminate the contract. Following this, on 14 March 1996, upon completion of testing and fitting out, the catamaran was put up for sale and in April was sold to DSB Rederi, who renamed it Auto Express and transferred it in May under the Australian flag to Fredericia, where it was adapted for service in the Baltic Sea. After this technical stopover, it was then introduced on the Aarhus - Kalundborg connections, between the two shores of the Kattegat, with the new name Cat-Link III and under the banner of the subsidiary Cat-Link, a joint venture established together with Holyman.

In the following two years, the fast ferry continued to operate regularly on the route, until 28 July 1998, when it was replaced by the new Cat-Link V and laid up in Grenaa, remaining there until December, when it was purchased by the Estonian Tallink, which in March 1999 renamed it Tallink AutoExpress and introduced it on the Tallinn - Helsinki routes on 19 April, significantly reducing travel times compared to conventional units.

On 7 March 2006, after approximately seven years of service between the two shores of the Gulf of Finland, the catamaran, now close to being replaced by the new Galaxy, was sold to the Spanish Trasmediterránea, from which it was renamed Alcántara Dos and transferred on 20 April to Algeciras, which began to connect in June to Tangier Med, operating in the following years occasionally in other connections between Spain and Morocco in the Alborán Sea, such as between Almería, Malaga, Motril and Melilla, in the Balearic Sea, in particular between Alcúdia and Ciutadella de Menorca and between Valencia and Ibiza, and in the Canary Islands, between Los Cristianos, Valverde and San Sebastián de la Gomera, on charter to the parent company Naviera Armas.

On 31 January 2020, with the entry into service of the new units, the catamaran was laid up in Almería, waiting for buyers, where it remained for about three years, until 17 April 2023, when it was purchased by the Greek Saos Ferries, which four days later took delivery of it and renamed it Nissos, transferring it to the Perama shipyards, where it continued its lay up. On 19 April 2026 it was announced that the unit would be entrusted to Polemikó Nautikó, the Greek Navy, by which it will be used for logistical purposes.