HSC HSS Discovery

Last updated

HSS Discovery in Curacao 2.jpg
Stena Discovery laid up in tropical waters at Curaçao
History
Name
  • 1997–2009: Stena Discovery
  • 2009 onwards: HSS 'Discovery
Operator
  • 1997–2009: Stena Line
  • 2009 onwards: Albamar Shipping Company
Port of registry
Builder Finnyards, Finland
Cost£65,000,000
Yard number406
Launched14 December 1996 [1]
In serviceApril 1997
Identification IMO number:  9107590
FateScrapped [2]
General characteristics
Class and type HSS 1500
Developed by:Stena Rederi AB
Tonnage19,638  GT [3]
Length126.6 m (415 ft 4 in)
Beam40.0 m (131 ft 3 in)
Draught4.8 m (15 ft 9 in)
Installed power
PropulsionKamewa Type S Waterjets
Speed40 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.

Contents

Design and construction

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]

Career

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]

Incidents

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References

  1. "HSS STENA DISCOVERY" . Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Stena Discovery". Castles of the Seas. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Stena Discovery" (in Swedish). Fakta Om Fartyg. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  4. "The story behind the building of the first Stena HSS". Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company. Archived from the original on 8 December 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  5. "GE Marine Engines' LM Gas Turbines Exceed 600,000 Hours Operating Aboard 16 Fast Ferries" (Press release). GE Aviation. 9 September 2002. Archived from the original on 11 December 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2009. Each semi-swath fast ferry used two LM1600 and two LM2500 gas turbines in a COmbined Gas and Gas (COGAG) turbine configuration.
  6. 1 2 "Stena Explorer". Sealink-Holyhead. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  7. "Stena sacrifices speed for size". International Freight Weekly. 12 January 2007.
  8. "Initiators seek investors to take over ferry". Amigoe. 4 December 2011.
  9. "Criminal investigation into disappearance of diesel from hss discovery". Dutch Caribbean Legal Portal. 20 March 2012.
  10. "Ferry News". Harwich Haven Ships and Yachts.
  11. "Lorry falls of back of ferry". Clacton Gazette. 18 March 2001. Retrieved 3 February 2009.