MS Excelsior

Excelsior in Barcelona
History
Name	1999–present: Excelsior
Owner	1999–present: Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV) (MSC Group)
Operator	1999–present: Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV)
Port of registry	1999–present: Genova, Italy
Route	Genoa – Palermo Genoa – Barcelona – Tanger Med Genoa – Tunis Sète – Tanger Med
Ordered	1996
Builder	Fincantieri Sestri Ponente, Genoa, Italy
Yard number	6000
Laid down	1997
Launched	1998
Completed	May 1999
Acquired	1999
Maiden voyage	May 1999
In service	1999
Identification	IMO number: 9184419 Call sign: IBEX MMSI number: 247351100
Status	in service
Notes	Sister ship to Excellent
General characteristics
Class & type	Custom Fincantieri Ro-Pax Cruise Ferry
Tonnage	40,193 GT 7,300 DWT
Length	202.78 m (665 ft 3 in)
Beam	28.00 m (91 ft 10 in)
Draught	6.70 m (22 ft 0 in)
Depth	9.40 m (30 ft 10 in)
Decks	10
Ramps	3 stern loading ramps
Installed power	4 × MAN B&W 8L48/60 main diesel engines (total 28,960 kW / 38,836 hp)
Propulsion	2 × controllable pitch propellers
Speed	24.0 knots (44.4 km/h; 27.6 mph) (service) / 25.5 knots (47.2 km/h; 29.3 mph) (max)
Capacity	2,253 passengers (429 cabins / 1,415 berths) 760 cars / 2,250 lane metres for freight
Crew	80–100

Excelsior is a 202.78-metre high-capacity Ro-Pax cruise ferry owned and operated by Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV). Built in 1999 by Fincantieri at their Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa, Italy, she is the sister ship to Excellent. Powered by four MAN B&W diesel engines producing 28,960 kW, she operates major Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean routes connecting mainland Italy and France with Sicily, Tunisia, and Morocco.

History

Origins and construction

Following the success of the sister ships Majestic and Splendid in 1993 and 1994, and the Fantastic in 1996, the Italian shipping company Grandi Navi Veloci established itself as a leader on routes between mainland Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia. In 1997, the company ordered two new cruise ferries, the sister ships Excellent and Excelsior. The plans for the new vessels revealed an improved version of the Fantastic, approximately 14 meters longer and with significantly greater capacity. To save time, the company had the sister ships built in two different shipyards.

Construction of the Excelsior began on June 27, 1997, at the Fincantieri Sestri shipyards in Genoa with the laying of the keel. The launch took place on January 17, 1999. It was finally delivered to GNV on May 7, 1999.

Service

The Excelsior made its maiden voyage on May 15, 1999, between Genoa and Porto Torres in Sardinia. The ship will subsequently be assigned to the company's other routes to Sicily or Sardinia depending on the period.

In March 2011, the cruise ferry is used by the Italian government to transport African migrants (mainly Libyans) from the island of Lampedusa to Naples or other Italian ports. Once its mission is completed in July, the Excelsior is placed on the Genoa- Barcelona - Tangier route.

In December 2011, negotiations are beginning between Grandi Navi Veloci and the Société Nationale Maritime Corse-Méditerranée (SNCM) for the chartering of a vessel from the Italian company's fleet. Indeed, on October 27, 2012, the Napoléon Bonaparte, flagship of the French company, suffered serious damage rendering it temporarily unavailable, and it had to be replaced for the upcoming summer season. SNCM ultimately focused its attention on the Excelsior.

Having left Genoa the previous evening, the Excelsior arrived in Marseille for the first time on February 4, 2013, in the morning.The voyage, under the Italian flag, is carried out under the responsibility of the GNV crew, and a team from SNCM, composed of the future command staff, is also on board. After a day of inspecting the ship, the charter contract between the two shipowners is signed on February 5, the Excelsior was then chartered for a period of nineteen months. Before entering service, the cruise ferry was repainted in SNCM colors.

On February 23, the Excelsior, still flying the Italian flag but with an SNCM crew, set sail from Marseille at 8:45 PM for Tunis on its maiden voyage for the company. After a delay due to administrative problems related to its registration with the French flag, the Excelsior began its regular service from April 19. It reached Corsica for the first time the following day, docking in Ajaccio at 7:30 a.m. The ship was transferred to the French flag on May 19. During the summer seasons of 2013 and 2014, the cruise-ferry was assigned to serve Corsica and made some crossings to Sardinia, Tunisia and Algeria.

On September 23, 2014, the Excelsior arrives in Marseille from Tunis for its last crossing on behalf of SNCM. The ship is once again painted in GNV colors. In October 2014, after a dry-docking in Genoa, it subsequently resumed crossings for the Italian company to Spain and Morocco.

During its technical stop in April to June 2016, the Excelsior was fitted with a counter-hull to improve its stability, which in turn increased its beam and tonnage. During this stopover, the ship also received GNV's new livery, painted in giant letters on the hull.

Since 2016, the cruise-ferry has been used to serve Sicily in the summer and other company routes to Tunisia or Morocco in the low season.

Facilities

Public facilities

The Excelsior offers its passengers a variety of facilities during the crossing, primarily located on decks 6 and 9. The ship has two bars, three restaurants, a swimming pool, a shop, a casino, a wellness center, a video game area, a children's playroom, four lounges, and a conference center. Some of these facilities may be closed during certain crossings.

Among the ship's facilities are:

• The Magnifica: The vast main lounge bar located at the bow of the ship on deck 6, entertainment is offered there depending on the crossings;
• The Plaza Arcade: The piano bar located on deck 6 in the middle of the ship;
• The Beach Cafe: The pool bar located at the stern of the ship on deck 6;
• The Transatlantica: The ship's self-service restaurant located in the middle on deck 6;
• The Swordfish: The ship's restaurant located at the stern on deck 6;
• The Chic Bazaar: The ship's shopping arcade located in the middle of deck 6;
• The Dream Machine: the casino located in the middle of deck 6 near the Plaza Arcade lounge bar;
• The lounge chairs: Named Roma, Parigi, Londra and Madrid, they are located on deck 9 in the middle of the ship and are available to passengers without cabins.

Cabins

The Excelsior has 429 cabins located on decks 7 and 8. Able to accommodate up to four people and all equipped with full bathrooms, 38 of them are luxury suites.

Features

The Excelsior is 202.17 meters long and 29.62 meters wide, with a draft of 6.90 meters. Its gross tonnage is 40,193 GT. The ship can accommodate 2,253 passengers and has a garage with space for 760 vechiles spread over four levels, accessible via three stern ramps. It is fully air-conditioned. It is powered by four Sulzer-Wärtsilä 8L46A 8-cylinder in-line semi-high-speed diesel engines, developing 28,960 kW of power, driving two Lips controllable-pitch propellers, enabling the vessel to reach speeds of over 24 knots. It is also equipped with two bow thrusters and a roll stabilizer with two retractable fins. The ship is equipped with six large enclosed lifeboats, numerous life rafts, a rescue boat and a semi-rigid boat complete the rescue equipment.

Routes served

When it entered service in 1999, the Excelsior operated on the Genoa - Porto Torres route to Sardinia. At the end of the season, it was transferred to Sicily on the Genoa- Palermo route.

For the 2000 season, the ship was again assigned to Sardinia, this time on the Genoa- Olbia route. As in the previous year, it returned to Palermo at the end of the season. At the end of the 2003 season, the Excelsior served Palermo from Civitavecchia. From July 2011, the ship is positioned on the international route between Italy, Spain and Morocco on the Genoa - Barcelona - Tangier route.

Chartered by SNCM in February 2013 to September 2014, the Excelsior is primarily used on the Corsican routes, specifically the Marseille - Ajaccio and Marseille- Propriano lines. It occasionally serves the port of Bastia, as its length is not well-suited to the port's limited dimensions, particularly during peak season. The ship also makes crossings to Sardinia on the Marseille-Ajaccio-Porto Torres route, as well as to Algeria and Tunisia from Marseille, and more rarely from Toulon.

Delivered to CNG in September 2014, the ship resumed its operations on the Genoa - Barcelona - Tangier route and made some crossings between Sète and the Moroccan port.

Since 2016, the Excelsior has been dedicated to the following lines:

• Genoa - Palermo, at night, in season;
• Genoa - Barcelona - Tangier, off-season;
• Genoa - Tunis, off-season.

References

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