MV Condor Islander

MV Condor Islander is a roll-on/roll-off ferry owned by Condor Ferries. She previously bore the names MS Dueodde and MV Straitsman.

Not to be confused with MV Straitsman (1972).

MV Condor Islander laid up in Poole Harbour
History
Name
  • 2005–10: MS Dueodde
  • 2010–23: MV Straitsman
  • 2023 onwards: Condor Islander[1]
OperatorCondor Ferries
Port of registryNassau,  Bahamas[2]
BuilderVolharding Shipyards, Netherlands
Yard number703
In service2005
Identification
Statusin active service
General characteristics
TypeROPAX ferry
Tonnage13,906 GT
Length124.9 m (409 ft 9 in)
Beam23.4 m (76 ft 9 in)
Draft5.6 m (18 ft 4 in)
Decks10
Installed power
  • 2 × MaK 9M32 diesel engines
  • 4,320 kW each at 600 rpm
Speed18.8 knots (34.8 km/h; 21.6 mph)
Capacity
  • 400 passengers
  • 1,248 m (4,094 ft) lane for vehicles

History

Condor Islander was built in the style of Van der Giessen de Noord's vessels, alongside her sister ship, Stena Vinga, known then as MS Hammerodde.

Bornholmstrafikken

Condor Islander entered service with Bornholmstrafikken in 2005 as MS Dueodde. Alongside Hammerodde, she operated routes linking Bornholm with the Danish mainland.

StraitNZ

In 2010, the vessel was sold and shortly entered service with StraitNZ and was renamed MV Straitsman in recognition of StraitNZ's first vessel, which was in service for 11 years from when the company first launched in 1992.[3]

Condor Ferries

In March 2023, it was confirmed that the vessel had been secured by Condor Ferries in the UK for services between Portsmouth and the Channel Islands.[4] Shortly afterward, it was announced that the vessel would be renamed as Condor Islander.[5]

In July 2023, the vessel arrived in the Channel Islands after several weeks in a dry dock in El Astillero, in the north of Spain. Following refurbishment, she entered service in October 2023.

Accidents and issues in service

StraitNZ
  • In July 2016, a truck and B-train trailer unit aboard the Straitsman snapped its lashings and fell overboard off the coast of Island Bay.[6]
  • On 24 February 2023, a crewmember was hit by a truck reversing onboard at Wellington, causing delays. The crewmember suffered bruising and a broken wrist.[7]

Condor Ferries

Since the purchase of Condor Islander, there have been numerous problems during the vessel's refit and its entry into service.

  • The first sailing was scheduled to take place in November 2023 however, it was brought forward to October 2023 with freight services starting on the 8th and both passenger and freight services on the 15th. It was then pushed back again to 20 October 2023 because of the late installation of vital equipment.[8]
  • Due to the conditions of Storm Babet, Condor Islander's first sailing with passengers on 20 October 2023 was canceled and pushed back to the 22rd of the same month.
  • On 23 October 2023, the inter-island service from Guernsey to Jersey was canceled due to technical problems. The sailing onto Portsmouth departed from Guernsey instead, much earlier than anticipated[9]
  • On 25 October 2023, it was discovered that there were issues with the front bow thrusters of the ship. It was announced that the vessel would be pulled out of service until the 2nd November of the same year and all scheduled sailings were canceled.[10]

References
  1. "Condor names second freight vessel after islands". BBC News. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  2. "CONDOR ISLANDER [BS]". Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  3. "New Cook Strait Ferry Showered with Welcome | Scoop News".
  4. "Condor Ferries secures new passenger and freight vessel for Portsmouth-Channel Islands routes". 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  5. https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2023-03-17/condor-reveal-name-of-new-channel-islands-vessel
  6. Sharpe, Marty; Livingston, Tommy (18 July 2016). "Trailer unit goes overboard after breaking free on Bluebridge Straitsman ferry". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  7. "Staff member breaks wrist in truck incident on Bluebridge ferry". 24 February 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  8. "Condor Islander start date delayed". 6 October 2023.
  9. "First inter-island ferry service canceled". 23 October 2023.
  10. "Condor Islander temporarily withdrawn from service due to tech issue". 25 October 2023.


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