Vizzavona (ship)

Vizzavona in Bastia
History
Name	(1999–2017): Finneagle (2017–2018): Euroferry Corfu (2018–present): Vizzavona
Namesake	French village Vizzavona
Owner	(1999): Youngstar Ltd (1999–2002): Poseidon Schiffahrt AG (2002–2007): Rederi Ab Nordö-Link (2007–2017): Finnlines AbP (2017–present): Grimaldi Lines
Operator	(1999–2007): Finnlines (charter) (1999): B&N Hornet (charter) (2015–2017): Grimaldi Lines (charter) (2018–present): Corsica Linea (charter)
Port of registry	(1999): Lübeck, Germany (1999–2012): Stockholm, Sweden (2012–2014): Helsinki, Finland (2014–2017): Mariehamn, Finland (2017–2018): Palermo, Italy (2018–present): Marseille, France
Route	Marseille – Ajaccio / Bastia / Propriano Former: Marseille – Tunis / Algiers Former: Kapellskär – Naantali (Finnlines)
Ordered	1995
Builder	Astilleros Españoles Puerto Real, Spain
Yard number	81
Laid down	1997
Launched	1998
Completed	1999
Acquired	October 1999 (as Finneagle) May 2018 (by Corsica Linea)
Maiden voyage	November 1999
In service	1999
Identification	IMO number: 9138006 Call sign: FLBX MMSI number: 228358800
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class & type	Stena Seapacer Class Ro-Pax Ferry
Tonnage	30,144 GT 8,383 DWT
Length	188.30 m (617 ft 9 in)
Beam	28.70 m (94 ft 2 in)
Draught	6.30 m (20 ft 8 in)
Depth	9.40 m (30 ft 10 in)
Decks	11
Ramps	Stern and bow vehicle loading ramps
Ice class	1A Super (Ice class)
Installed power	4 × Wärtsilä-Sulzer 8ZAL40S marine diesel engines (total 23,050 kW / 30,910 hp)
Propulsion	2 × controllable pitch propellers
Speed	22.0 knots (40.7 km/h; 25.3 mph) (service) / 22.5 knots (41.7 km/h; 25.9 mph) (max)
Capacity	800 passengers (143 cabins / 214 seats) 2,500 lane metres for freight (~130 trailers / cars)
Crew	50

Vizzavona is a mixed ship of the French company Corsica Linea. Built between 1997 and 1999 at the Spanish shipyard Astilleros Españoles for the Finnish company Finnlines, it was originally named Finneagle. Commissioned in November 1999 between Finland and Sweden, it will also serve the routes between Sweden and Germany from 2009. Chartered in 2015 and 2016 by Grimaldi Lines, it was transferred to their own colors in 2017 to sail between Italy and Greece under the name Euroferry Corfù. From June 2018 the ship was chartered by Corsica Linea and renamed Vizzavona. After initially sailing between France, North Africa, and Sardinia, it has since been assigned on the lines of the public service delegation (DSP) between Marseille and Corsica.

History

Origins and construction

The ship was originally ordered by the Swedish shipping company Stena Line on October 6, 1995 at the Astilleros Españoles shipyards in Puerto Real, Spain, at the same time as that of its sister ship, but on June 25, 1997, the construction contracts for the two ships were sold to the Finnish company Finnlines.

Construction of the Finneagle began on June 26, 1997, and the ship was launched on April 18, 1998. It was then delivered unfinished to the Irish company Youngstar Ltd on October 5, 1999. Transferred that same day to Poseidon Schiffahrt AG, the entity managing the Finnlines fleet in Germany, the Finneagle arrived in Lübeck on October 17 for its finishing touches. Once its construction was complete, the ship set sail for Finland on October 30.

Service

Finnlines (1999-2017)

The Finneagle entered service on November 1, 1999, between Kapellskär and Naantali. From 2002, it was transferred to Rederi Ab Nordö-Link and sailed under the Finnlink brand. In July 2005 the ship was immobilized for work on its engines. On June 29, 2006, it damaged one of his rudders at Kapellskär but it was quickly repaired and he resumed his service the next day. In 2007, he was transferred to Finnlines AbP.

On April 15, 2009, the Finneagle was moved to the Travemünde - Malmö route until 2011 when it was redeployed to Helsinki. During the summer, it served the Nådendal - Kapellskär route before returning to the Travemünde - Malmö route.

In 2012, during its technical refit, the ship was transferred to the Finnish flag. It was then assigned to the Helsinki - Rostock route. On October 9, a semi-trailer truck falls into the port of Rostock while exiting the ship.

In November the Finneagle returns to the Nådendal - Kapellskär line. From October 1, 2013, a stopover in Långnäs is made in addition to the usual route. In 2014, its home port became Mariehamn.

In August 2015 the ship was assigned to the Hangö - Rostock route until September, then returned to the Travemünde - Malmö route and then to the Nådendal - Långnäs - Kapellskär route from October to November. It was then chartered by the Italian shipping company Grimaldi Lines, owner of Finnlines.

After leaving Finland, the Finneagle reached Salerno in Italy on November 22, then was placed on the Salerno - Catania line. The charter ended in January 2016 and the ship is placed on the Hangö - Gdynia line, then returns to Nådendal - Långnäs - Kapellskär in February.

In July, the ship reached the port of Tangier in Morocco for a new charter by Grimaldi between Tangier and Barcelona until October. It then returned to the Nådendal - Långnäs - Kapellskär route.

In March 2017 work is being carried out on board and scrubbers (smoke cleaning devices) are being installed to adapt to the new environmental standards in force in the Baltic Sea.

In June, it was chartered for the third time by Grimaldi and sailed to Savona in Italy to serve the Savona-Barcelona-Tangier route. Once the charter was completed, it headed back to Poland for further renovations.

On October 4, it was transferred to Grimaldi and renamed Euroferry Corfu. It came under Italian ownership and then left Gdansk for Italy on October 20.

Grimaldi Lines (2017-2018)

The ship is then placed on the Savona - Barcelona - Tangier route starting from November 4, then on Brindisi - Igoumenitsa - Patras on December 7.

In April 2018 a contract has been signed between Grimaldi and the French company Corsica Linea for the charter of the Euroferry Corfu for a period of five years. This aligns with the Corsican company's plans to develop its routes to Sardinia and North Africa. Currently, the Porto Torres service is only offered once a week during the season, on Sundays, using the Jean Nicoli, which is primarily assigned to the Marseille - Porto-Vecchio route during the summer. As for the routes to Algiers and Tunis, Corsica Linea has wanted to transport freight on these routes since its inception; however, the rolling capacity of the two ships usually dedicated to these services has not allowed it until now. The arrival of this vessel would also, at least in part, resolve a problem recently encountered by the shipping company on its Corsican routes: the constant increase in freight traffic between Marseille and the island's ports, which has risen by 18.57% in just one year. However, the public service delegation contract does not allow Corsica Linea to operate this vessel in addition to its four other cargo ships. With its freight capacity of 2,500 linear meters, exceeding that of the shipping company's current fleet, the Euroferry Corfù could replace another vessel to handle an additional portion of the traffic. Finally, the ship is equipped with scrubbers, fully confirming the company's desire to adopt an environmentally responsible and sustainable development approach, and also anticipating the international "MARPOL" regulation, which will require a reduction in sulfur emissions from ships from 3.5% to 0.5% starting from January 1, 2020, in the Mediterranean.

Corsica Linea (since 2018)

On May 22 the ship leaves Patras in the morning to reach Marseille. It arrives at its destination on May 24 around noon and docks near dry dock 10. The next day, it enters dry dock 8 to be brought up to Corsica Linea standards. On May 30 it was renamed Vizzavona and came under the French flag.

On June 4 in the evening, the Vizzavona set sail empty from Marseille and arrived the next day in Ajaccio, fully decorated. An inauguration ceremony, attended by the consortium's leaders and the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, was held on board. Before entering service, the ship was used to transport rental vehicles to Bastia. On June 12 it left Marseille in the evening and made his first commercial crossing to Ajaccio. From June 20, the Vizzavona begins its regular service between Marseille and Béjaïa in Algeria. Unused for the rest of the week, the ship transports rental vehicles to Bastia and Ajaccio and sometimes replaces other mixed-use vessels between Marseille and Corsica. On July 13 the ship begins his weekly service between Marseille and Porto Torres.

In October, the Vizzavona was chartered to transport French troops and equipment to Norway as part of a NATO exercise, Trident Juncture 18. The ship left Marseille empty on October 9 around 6:00 am for La Rochelle. He arrives at his destination on October 14 in the morning and docks at La Pallice around 8:00 AM. 800 military personnel embark, along with equipment and vehicles, and the ship sets sail for Norway on October 16 at 9:20 PM. After crossing the English Channel for 4 days, the Vizzavona reached Fredrikstad in the morning of October 20. Once the exercise is completed, the mixed-use vessel leaves Norway on November 15. It stopped once again at La Rochelle on the 18th to disembark the contingent, then set sail again the next day for the Mediterranean. The Vizzavona then reached Marseille on November 24, thus completing its journey. After a quick stop in dry dock, it takes over from the Danielle Casanova on the winter rotations to Algiers and Tunis.

During its technical stopover carried out between May and June 2019 in Bizerte, several works were carried out on board, including the creation of a restaurant on deck 7, the refurbishment of the cabins and communal restrooms, as well as the addition of a kennel. However, its return to service was marked by a labor dispute at La Méridionale, which led to the blockade of the port of Marseille starting on June 21, grounding three Corsica Linea ships. The Vizzavona was then used to operate some voyages to Corsica from Marseille and Toulon in addition to its crossings to Algeria and Tunisia. The situation calmed down, however, from June 27 and the ship resumes its crossings to the Maghreb.

At the end of the 2019 summer season, during which the Vizzavona operated two crossings per week to Algeria and one to Corsica, Corsica Linea responded to the Corsican Regional Authority's call for tenders for the new Public Service Obligation (PSO). In its bid, the company planned to use the vessel on the Marseille - Bastia route in addition to the Pascal Paoli. With the company, known for its red ships, winning the tender, the Vizzavona was thus transferred full-time to the subsidized Corsican service starting from October 1, 2019. However, due to a breakdown affecting one of its engines, it will initially be operated on the Ajaccio line before the problem is resolved in the spring of 2021, allowing its return to the Bastia service.

Facilities

The Vizzavona has 11 decks. Among them, decks 1 to 6 are designated as garages, although only decks 1, 3, and 5 are usable. In fact, three of the garage decks lack parking areas to accommodate trailers. Deck 7 is dedicated to public spaces, decks 8 and 9 to passenger cabins, deck 10 to crew quarters, and deck 11 to the navigation bridge.

Common areas

The Vizzavona consists of functional facilities, located on deck 7. Among them, there is a bar at the front, a snack bar at the front port side, and a small à la carte restaurant in the center starboard side.

In addition to its facilities, the Vizzavona has a children's playroom and an arcade area on deck 7 to port. Until its internal refurbishment in 2019, a shop was located where the à la carte restaurant used to be.

Cabins

The Vizzavona has 143 cabins, located on decks 8 and 9. Both internal and external, they are equipped with 2, 3, or 4 berths and have private bathrooms. Two of these cabins have a double bed at the front. The ship also has two lounges at the rear of decks 7 and 8, accommodating 214 passengers.

Features

The Vizzavona is 188.30 meters long and 28.70 meters wide, with a draft of 6.21m and a gross tonnage of 30,114 GT. The ship can accommodate 800 passengers and has a 2,500 meter roll-on/roll-off garage accessible via a stern ramp and a bow ramp. It is fully air-conditioned. It is powered by four Sulzer 8ZAL40S diesel engines with a combined output of 23,050kW, driving two controllable-pitch propellers, enabling the vessel to reach speeds of over 22 knots. The combined passenger/cargo ship is also equipped with two bow thrusters and a stabilizer with retractable fins. The ship carries four large, enclosed lifeboats, two rigid inflatable boats, and numerous liferafts. Since 2017, the Vizzavona has been equipped with scrubbers, a fume purification device that reduces its sulfur emissions.

Routes served

From 1999 to 2009, the ship was assigned to the Kapellskär and Naantali route. It was subsequently redeployed to the Travemünde - Malmö route, then to the Travemünde - Helsinki route in 2011, and to the Nådendal - Kapellskär route during the summer. From 2012, it operated on the Helsinki - Rostock route, then returned in November to the Nådendal - Kapellskär route, with, from October 2013, a stopover is made in Långnäs. From August 2015, the ship operates the Hangö - Rostock route until September, and then returns to Travemünde - Malmö and then to Nådendal - Långnäs - Kapellskär from October to November.

In November 2015 to January 2016, the Finneagle operates the Salerno - Catania route for Grimaldi Lines, then is reassigned to the Hangö - Gdynia route, and then again to the Nådendal-Långnäs-Kapellskär route from February. It sails once more for Grimaldi on the Barcelona - Tangier route from July to October, then returns to the Nådendal-Långnäs-Kapellskär route. It will sail again for Grimaldi from June to September 2017 on the Savona - Barcelona - Tangier line.

Transferred to Grimaldi in October and renamed Euroferry Corfù, it initially served the Savona - Barcelona - Tangier route. Since December, the ship has been assigned to the Brindisi - Igoumenitsa - Patras route.

Chartered by Corsica Linea in June 2018 and renamed Vizzavona, the ship is primarily deployed on the Marseille - Béjaïa and Marseille- Porto Torres routes during the summer, and secondarily on the Marseille- Algiers and Marseille- Tunis routes, and occasionally to Corsica. For the 2019 season, it is mainly positioned on the Béjaïa, Algiers, and Tunis routes, and operates an overnight crossing to Bastia every Tuesday.

Starting from the October 1st, 2019, following the award of the short-haul Public Service Obligation (PSO) contract to Corsica Linea, the Vizzavona replaced La Méridionale 's Piana and operated the crossings between Marseille and Bastia. However, due to a technical problem affecting one of its engines, it was assigned to the Ajaccio route alongside the Jean Nicoli during 2020, before switching, as planned, to the Bastia service in the spring of 2021. From 2023, with the implementation of a new 7-year PSO contract, the mixed cargo ship was primarily assigned to the Ajaccio route. This change occurred due to the arrival of the new vessel A Galeotta, which took over as the second cargo ship dedicated to the Bastia service. Every weekend, however, the two ships exchanged assignments, resulting in the Vizzavona calling at Bastia twice a week. From winter 2024, it is used on the Propriano service in low and mid-season and exchanges with the A Nepita on Ajaccio and Bastia in the summer season.

Since the departure of the A Nepita from the fleet and the arrival of the new Capu Rossu in June 2026, the Vizzavona has been primarily used on the Marseille - Propriano route, operating overnight crossings, but also during the day on Sundays during the season. The vessel currently appears to be scheduled until early 2027, but with the charter contract expiring, the Vizzavona is expected to be replaced after the 2026 season by La Méridionale 's Massalia on this route.

Sister ships

• Ciudad de Soller
• Stena Germanica
• Finnfellow