![]() Stena Discovery laid up in tropical waters at Curaçao | |
History | |
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Name |
|
Operator |
|
Port of registry |
|
Builder | Finnyards, Finland |
Cost | £65,000,000 |
Yard number | 406 |
Launched | 14 December 1996 [1] |
In service | April 1997 |
Identification | IMO number: 9107590 |
Fate | Scrapped [2] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | HSS 1500 |
Developed by: | Stena Rederi AB |
Tonnage | 19,638 GT [3] |
Length | 126.6 m (415 ft 4 in) |
Beam | 40.0 m (131 ft 3 in) |
Draught | 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in) |
Installed power | |
Propulsion | 4× Kamewa Type S Waterjets |
Speed | 40 knots [3] |
Capacity |
|
HSS Discovery was a high-speed ferry owned by Albamar Shipping Company. It is a member of the HSS 1500 class of high-speed ferries built for and designed by Stena Line from 1996 onwards. The vessel was previously named Stena Discovery and operated for Stena Line between Harwich International Port, in the United Kingdom and Hook of Holland, in The Netherlands.
The HSS Discovery was constructed by Finnyards in Rauma, Finland. Construction commenced in 1996 and the vessel entered service in April 1997. [3]
The vessel was a catamaran, and was designed with the aim of providing a comfortable and fast service. [4]
Power was provided by four GE Aviation gas turbines in a twin combined gas and gas (COGAG) configuration. [5] The vessel employed four KaMeWa waterjets for propulsion. [6]
The HSS class of ferries were designed to allow quick turnarounds at port. A specially designed linkspan provides ropeless mooring and allows quick loading, unloading and servicing. Vehicles were loaded via two of the four stern doors and parked in a "U" configuration. When disembarking, vehicles drove straight off via the other three doors. [6]
As the Stena Discovery, the vessel operated between Harwich and Hook of Holland for Stena Line from its introduction in 1997 until January 2007 when it was taken out of service due to its high fuel consumption. The vessel was laid up at Belfast between January 2007 and September 2009, before departing for La Guaira, Venezuela under the ownership of Albamar Shipping Company. Prior to its departure from Belfast, the "Stena" prefix was removed from the vessel's name. [3] [7]
It served only briefly in Venezuela and was taken out of service again in 2009. In November 2011, it was moved to the Caribbean island of Curaçao in an attempt to attract investors for a new ferry service from Curaçao to La Guaira. [8] It was subject to a criminal investigation shortly afterwards regarding irregulatory trade of diesel from the ballast tanks. [9] She was scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey, between August and November 2015. [2]
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