Virgen del Valle II

Virgen del Valle II in Margarita Island
History
Name	(2001–2013): Euroferrys Pacífica (2013–present): Virgen del Valle II
Owner	(2001–2010): Euroferrys (2010–2013): Acciona Trasmediterránea (2013–present): Bolivariana de Puertos (Bolipuertos) SA
Operator	(2001–2010): Euroferrys (2010–2013): Acciona Trasmediterránea (2013–present): Consorcio de Ferrys C.A. (La Nueva Conferry)
Port of registry	(2001–2013): Las Palmas, Spain (2013–present): Pampatar, Venezuela
Route	Guanta – Punta de Piedras / El Guamache
Ordered	2000
Builder	Austal Ships Pty Ltd Fremantle, Western Australia
Yard number	114
Launched	2001
Completed	May 2001
Acquired	August 2013
In service	2001
Identification	IMO number: 9235866 Call sign: YYNE MMSI number: 775512000
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class & type	Austal Auto Express 101
Tonnage	8,397 GT 766 DWT
Length	101.40 m (332 ft 8 in)
Beam	26.65 m (87 ft 5 in)
Draft	4.00 m (13 ft 1 in)
Decks	3
Ramps	Rear loading ramps
Installed power	4 × Caterpillar 3618 diesel engines (total 28,800 kW)
Propulsion	4 × Kamewa waterjets
Speed	37.0 knots (68.5 km/h; 42.6 mph) (service) 40.0 knots (74.1 km/h; 46.0 mph) (max)
Capacity	950 passengers 251 cars
Notes	Sister ship to Dublin Swift

Virgen del Valle II is a 101-metre high-speed passenger and vehicle catamaran ferry operated by the Venezuelan state-owned shipping line Conferry. Built in Australia by Austal in 2001, the vessel originally entered service in Europe as Euroferrys Pacífica, running busy routes across the Strait of Gibraltar between Algeciras and Ceuta. In 2013, she was acquired by the Venezuelan government following the nationalization of Conferry. Renamed in honor of the patron saint of Margarita Island, she was deployed to link the Venezuelan mainland at Guanta with the islands of Nueva Esparta.

Service

The catamaran, the first of a series of two sister units, was built at the Austal specialist shipyard in Fremantle with the name Euroferrys Pacifica and delivered on 14 April 2001 to the Spanish EuroFerrys, setting sail the same day from Australia to Spain, where it arrived on 26 April. On 24 May it finally entered service on the routes between Algeciras and Ceuta, replacing the Bahia de Ceuta, where it also operated in the following years, although only in the summer period following the absorption of the company by the rival and compatriot Trasmediterránea. On 10 June 2004 the catamaran collided with the Almudania in Algeciras, reporting slight damage to the structures.

In August 2013, after approximately twelve years of service in the Strait of Gibraltar, the catamaran was sold to the Venezuelan Conferry, from which it was renamed Virgen del Valle II and transferred on 16 August to Guanta, where on 24 August it began service on the connections between Puerto La Cruz and Punta de Piedras, on Margarita Island. On 4 October the continental port was then transferred to La Guaira.

On 7 March 2024, while undergoing maneuvers in the port of La Guaira, the catamaran collided with a tugboat, resulting in a hole in the hull on the starboard side. Following this, the catamaran was then repaired between Guanta and Punta de Piedras by INEA, returning to service upon completion of the work, which ended on 18 May.