Origins and construction
At the dawn of the 2010s, Blue Star Ferries considered strengthening its fleet dedicated to serving the Aegean Sea archipelagos. Throughout the previous decade, the company had expanded its network with the opening of new routes to the Dodecanese and the North Aegean, in addition to its long-standing connections with the Cyclades. With this promising outlook, the shipping company placed an order for two new ferries with the South Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME).
Based on the design of the three previous Blue Star ferries—Ithaki, Paros, and Naxos —also built by the same shipyards, the new vessels represent a significant evolution compared to their predecessors. In addition to being larger and faster, they are also much more comfortable, despite a deliberately compact size to allow easy access to all ports.
The second of them, named Blue Star Patmos, was laid down at Okpo on June 23, 2010, and launched on June 27, 2011. After finishing work, it was delivered to Blue Star Ferries on June 12, 2012.
Service
After leaving South Korea to reach Greece, Blue Star Patmos arrived for the first time at Piraeus on July 9, 2012. The ship was then put into service on July 10, initially between Piraeus and the North Aegean.
On August 30, 2017, while entering the port of Ios, Blue Star Patmos ran aground in shallow waters at around 1:30 a.m. The 205 passengers and 87 crew members were safely evacuated and brought ashore by other ships and fishing boats that had responded to the distress call. [1] Blue Star Patmos was refloated on September 8 and taken to Piraeus. It was then repaired at the Perama shipyard. [2]
During a technical stop in spring 2020, the ship was fitted with scrubbers, a flue gas cleaning device designed to reduce its sulfur emissions. Their installation required the enlargement of the funnel, which appears more massive, while retaining its original shape. [3]
Greece (2012–Present)