MV St Helen
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| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: |
MV St Helen (1983-2015) MV Anna Mur (2015-Present) |
| Operator: | |
| Port of registry: | London |
| Builder: | Robb Caledon Shipbuilders, Leith |
| Yard number: | 535[1] |
| Launched: | 15 September 1983[2] |
| In service: | 28 November 1983 |
| Identification: |
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| Status: | In Service. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Car Passenger Ferry |
| Tonnage: | 2,983 GRT[3] |
| Length: | 77 metres (253 ft) |
| Beam: | 17.2 metres (56 ft) |
| Draught: | 2.48 metres (8 ft 2 in) |
| Installed power: | 3x 850bhp Harland & Wolff-MAN 6ASL25 diesel engines |
| Propulsion: | 3x Voith Schneider cycloidal propellers |
| Speed: | 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) |
| Capacity: |
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MV St Helen is a vehicle and passenger ferry previously operated by Wightlink on their route from Portsmouth to Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight. Due to her age, she has been sold and was removed from service on 26 March 2015. She now operates in Sardinia (Italy) with the name Anna Mur operated by Delcomar, together with her sister ship, the former MV St Catherine.
History
MV St Helen was built by Robb Caledon Shipbuilders, the last ship to be launched from their Leith Shipyard.[1] She entered service with Sealink on 28 November 1983 shortly after her sister MV St Catherine,[4] She was positioned on the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route, the route she has taken through her life and was the largest Isle of Wight ferry until 1990 when MV St Faith was introduced weighing 26 tonnes more. This was a record held until 2001 when MV St Clare entered service.
Deck collapse incident
The St Helen generated unwelcome headlines late on Friday 18 July 2014 at the Fishbourne ferry terminal, when a section of the mezzanine car deck with nine cars on board, dropped about six feet (1.80m) on to the deck below, while being lowered. Three passengers and a crew member were injured and transferred to St Mary's Hospital in Newport. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is carrying out an investigation.
The ship had just arrived on the 21:30 sailing from Portsmouth with 181 passengers and 11 crew on board. The next sailing, operated by MV St Clare, had to wait 90 minutes before being able to dock.[5]
After the incident the St Helen was taken out of service for several weeks whilst Wightlink engineers removed the mezzanine deck leaving her sister ships St Clare, St Cecilia, and St Faith to run the service.
Sale to Delcomar
It was reported in March 2015 that Delcomar, a company based in Sardinia, has purchased St Helen for an undisclosed sum.[6] She will join her sister vessel MV St Catherine (now GB Conte) which was sold to the same company in July 2010. St Helen has been renamed Anna Mur. The ship was moored at Hythe, but has now sailed to Sardinia. A Wight class vessel, MV Wight Sun has been transferred to the Portsmouth-Fishbourne route to replace St Helen.[7]
References
- 1 2 "Leith Built Ships". Robbs Built Ships. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
- ↑ Hendy, John (1989). Sealink Isle of Wight. Staplehurst: Ferry Publications.
- ↑ Widdows, Nick (1998). Ferries of the British Isles & Northern Europe. Ferry Publications.
- ↑ "Chronological history of Wightlink's services". Wightlink. Archived from the original on 2008-03-08. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-28382187
- ↑ http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/wightlink-to-say-farewell-to-St-Helen-car-ferry-78597.aspx
- ↑ http://iwradio.co.uk/news/wightlink-cut-ferry-yarmouth-route until the new Vessel for the Portsmouth - Fishbourne route./
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