MS Cruise Smeralda

The MS Cruise Smeralda is a RO/PAX ferry operated and owned by Grimaldi Lines. The ship was built in Fosen Mek Verksteder A/S, Norway for Minoan Lines in 1997. It has a sister ship: Jean Nicoli for Corsica Linea. Her first name was Ikarus and then renamed Ikarus Palace.

Cruise Smeralda as Ikarus Palace
History
Italy
Name
  • 1997-2001: Ikarus
  • 2001-2016: Ikarus Palace
  • 2016-present: Cruise Smeralda
NamesakeIcarus
Owner
Operator
Port of registry
RouteBarcelona-Tanger Med-Savona-Barcelona
Ordered1995
BuilderFosen Mek Verksteder A/S, Norway
Laid down1997
Launched5 May 1997
Completed1997
Maiden voyage1997
In service1997
Identification
  • IMO: 9144811
  • MMSI: 247343200[1]
StatusIn service
General characteristics
TypeRo-pax ferry
Tonnage29968 gt Summer DWT: 5150 t[2]
Length200.65 m (658 ft)
Beam26 m (85 ft)
Draught6.8 m (22 ft)
Rampstwo for vehicles one for passengers
Installed power11,120 kW @ 428 rpm
Propulsion
  • 4 x MAN B&W 8L 58/64 4-stroke engines.
  • 2 x Rolls-Royce KaMeWa propulsion system (ggearboxes, propeller lines and propellers).
  • 2 x Vulkan RATO S 531T couplings [3]
Speed26,4 knots
Capacity
  • 1.528 passengers
  • 819 cars

Minoan Lines Career
Ikarus Palace

The ship made her career for Minoan Lines in 1997 and worked the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Venice route for many years with her sister ship Pasiphae. In 2001 both ships were renamed. The first renamed Ikarus Palace and the second Pasiphae Palace. They worked both of them many years in the same route until Pasiphae Palace was sold to SNCM and renamed Jean Nicoli. Ikarus Palace also made worked the Piraeus-Heraklion route replacing another ship of her company. After the arrivals of the newest ships MS Cruise Europa, MS Cruise Olympia, Ikarus Palace laid-up in Patras and then made Patras-Igoumenitsa-Ancona route and then replace HSF Knossos Palace and HSF Kydon Palace in Piraeus-Heraklion route.

Chartered to Grimaldi Lines
Cruise Smeralda in Savona, August 2018.

Ikarus Palace then chartered for Grimaldi Lines. The ship when chartered for Grimaldi Lines began the Livorno-Barcelona-Tangier route. The ship also came many times in Greece to replace other ships of her company. The ship made her last route Patras-Igoumenitsa-Ancona route in 2016 and then sold to Grimaldi Lines and named Cruise Smeralda.

Route

Cruise Smeralda made every day Barcelona-Tanger-Savona-Barcelona route. Since April 2023 the ferry's new route is Travemünde-Malmö for Finnlines/Nordö-Link.

References
  1. "Cruise Smeralda in Marine Traffic". MarineTraffic.com. Retrieved 2020-04-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. "Zeus Palace in Marine Traffic". MarineTraffic.com. Retrieved 2020-04-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "Vulkan RATO S couplings for Grimaldi Group: the story of a conversion (Part One)". Powertrain - Diesel International. 2021-03-19. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
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