MV Sea Express I

Ex Isla Del Hierro, Duchess of Holland (II)

Edmund Ziegler Collection

Steel single screw motor vessel built in  by Schpsw. “Friesland” B.V., Lemmer, Holland. (Yard No 67) as a Roll on/Roll off ship (RO/RO).

Technical Data

• Length: 78.62 m (overall) 68.81 m (between perpendiculars)
• Breadth: 14.53 m
• Depth: 8.92 m
• Draught: 4.198 m
• Tonnage:  982 gross/488 net/1454 t deadweight
• Engines: 2 x vee oil 2SA 12 – cylinder MWM diesel
• Power: 2014 kW/2700 bHP
• Speed:  13.24 knots
• Capacity: 6 passengers, 350 lane meters
• Call Sign: PDTJ, EDJK, HP8581,
• IMO Number: 7321116
• Wet. Official Number: 4490 Z GRON 1972
• Port of Registry: Scheveningen/The Netherlands 🇳🇱, Las Palmas/Spain 🇪🇸, Panama / Panama 🇵🇦, La Guaira / Venezuela 🇻🇪, Panama / Panama 🇵🇦

History

Edmund Ziegler Collection

June 8^th 1973: Christened and launched by the wife of the director of the Norfolk Line, Mrs. Remeeus.

September 20^th 1972: Delivered to Norfolk Line B.V. Scheveningen, Holland.

Courtesy of Pieter Inpyn

September 1973: Services Scheveningen – Great Yarmouth.

Courtesy of Pieter Inpyn

April 1978: Collided with South Pier, Great Yarmouth.

© Gary Markham (Being pumped out on Gas Quay, Great Yarmouth after hitting South Pier inbound and sinking in river. 01/05/1978)

© Simonwp (Scheveningen, September 1979)

1987: Laid up in Scheveningen.

1987: Sold to Lineas Maritimas Hesperides, Las Palmas, Spain and renamed ISLA DEL HIERRO. 

October 6^th 1987: Arrived Las Palmas.

© Michael Neidig (Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura), 18/07/1989)(Left) Edmund Ziegler Collection (Right)

October 26^th 1992: En-route from Melilla to Malaga with a load of trailers and trucks, she collided with the breakwater in Malaga and suffered heavy damage. Capsized an abandoned by her owner.

© Javier Bueno Iturbe (Malaga, 28/10/1992)

February 27^th 1993: Salvaged.

© Javier Bueno Iturbe (Malaga, 05/03/1993)

October 19^th 1993: Towed to Las Piedras for repairs.

November 13^th 1993: Repairs began.

March 8^th 1996: Advertised “For Sale”.

1996: Sold to Sea Land Maritime Ltd., Panama and renamed SEA EXPRESS I.

October 20^th 1998: Suffered engine failure in Port Au Prince, Haiti and was subsequently arrested:

1999: Registered to Destiny Shipping Lines S.A. Panama.

2005: Removed from Lloyds register.

All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Pieter Inpyn, Javier Bueno Iturbe, Gary Markham, Michael Neidig,  Simonwp and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.

Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)