The end of the Europic Ferry

Bowing out of service at Larne in March 1993, the former Europic Ferry of the Larne - Cairnryan route managed to stay in service for a further 12 years before finding her way to the breakers at Alang beach, India in February 2005.

The ship had a long and distinguished career in British waters serving on the North Sea, English Channel and Irish Sea in her 26 years of service around the coast of the UK. Built at Swan Hunter's yard at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1967 for the nationalised Atlantic Steam Navigation Company, Europic Ferry was built almost alongside another vessel she would later meet in service at Larne, Sealink's Antrim Princess of the Larne - Stranraer route. Sailing out of Felixstowe to Rotterdam, the Europic Ferry was the final pinnacle in design evolution for the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company, which began service using former tank landing craft made redundant after World War II and then moved through 3 stages of custom built ro-ro ships. When the Europic Ferry entered service she became the company's final and largest ever purpose built ro-ro ship.

In 1971, the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company was sold into the private sector and became part of European Ferries in a deal worth £5.5 million. Now part of the extensive Townsend Thoresen fleet, the ship later transferred to Southampton and then on to Larne when she replaced the lost European Gateway in 1983.

Probably the vessel's biggest claim to fame was her war service during the Falklands War of 1982. The Europic Ferry and her crew under Captain Chris Clarke left their usual duties on the Southampton to Le Havre route and set off into war in April 1982. She became part of the large contingent of Merchant vessels taken up from trade to ferry war supplies and troops from Britain to the Falkland Islands half a world away.

The ship made a number of runs to off-load supplies into San Carlos where the British Army had made its initial landing on the islands. San Carlos Water was one of the most dangerous places to be in the war and a number of ships were lost there during the army landings. Despite carrying the bright orange hull of her owners Townsend Thoresen, the Europic Ferry was one of the most visible targets in the whole bay but managed to come through unscathed and returned to a victorious homecoming in Southampton in July 1982.

The Europic Ferry arriving at Southampton after war service at the Falkland Islands in 1982. Looking rather the worse for wear the ship was partially camouflaged by a mixture of black and white paint poured down the sides of the hull and superstructure. The ravages of the South Atlantic winter appears to have worn most of it away and even some of the orange has gone too revealing the original ASN black beneath.
Photo: Steven Brown Collection (click to enlarge).

After her war service, the ship was refitted and returned to her civilian service from Southampton to Le Havre before making her first appearance on the Larne to Cairnryan route in March 1983 as the replacement for the Larne based European Gateway, which was lost while covering overhauls at Felixstowe the previous December. The ship was to become a local favourite as she quietly and reliably went about her work. She was most often to be seen on the 0400, 1200 (later retimed to 1130) and 2000 sailings from Larne to Cairnryan.

She was built with no expense spared, just like the other 5 purpose built ships built for Atlantic Steam Navigation Company. The company founder Frank Bustard had initially intended to start an Atlantic liner service but this was not to be and instead he ended up bringing the ro-ro ferry revolution to Britain. Sticking true to Frank Bustard's initial vision for the company, the ship had teak decking and wood panelled interiors more akin to the great Atlantic liners rather than a ro-ro ferry carrying mainly lorry drivers who would spend the majority of their time aboard asleep during the over night crossings out of Felixstowe where she was to start her operational career.

With a large proportion of her original accommodation fitted out as cabins many of these were removed after her arrival at Larne and converted into lounge spaces. After this work the ship carried a rather handy passenger certificate for 160 making her much more suitable for the short 2¼ hour Larne to Cairnryan crossing.

Europic Ferry arriving at Larne with the 1200 sailing ex Cairnryan on 18/1/86, the vessel was covering for running mate Free Enterprise IV, during the winter refit period on the route.
Photo: Aubrey Dale (click to enlarge)

A change of owners occurred in 1986 with Townsend Thoresen becoming part of the P&O group. The Europic Ferry continued her service at Larne under new owners and over two refits in 1987 to 1988 she gradually obtained the new euro-blue colours of P&O European Ferries. A new running mate for Europic Ferry in the form of Ionic Ferry (ex Dragon) arrived at Larne in 1986 to replace Free Enterprise IV. The Ionic Ferry and Europic Ferry partnership would last on the Cairnryan route for another 6 years, until spring 1992.

	During the 1987 season the Europic Ferry sailed in TT orange hull with a light blue P&O funnel, the starboard side of which had the P&O flag facing the wrong way - the red quarter of the flag was leading instead of the blue quarter as shown here. The Europic Ferry is pictured here in Loch Ryan passing a navy survey vessel. Photo: Joe Canavan (click to enlarge)
	Europic Ferry passing number 3 buoy on arrival at Larne on the 24th of September 1988 after her repainting into full P&O colours. The hull colour was first applied during her refit in the spring of 1988 and some of the old TT orange can be seen peeping through around the belting. Photo: Aubrey Dale (click to enlarge)
	Europic Ferry pictured at Continental Quay Larne with her top deck loaded with a mixture of freight traffic. Photo: Joe Canavan (click to enlarge)

The Larne - Cairnryan route received much needed upgrading in 1992 with the introduction of the Pride of Ailsa and Pride of Rathlin. This saw the Europic's running mate Ionic Ferry (II) withdrawn but the Europic Ferry was retained as P&O saw scope for extra traffic. The Europic Ferry went for refit on the arrival of the first new ship, Pride of Ailsa in the spring of 1992 and arrived back at Larne renamed European Freighter.

The ship provided freight back up to the two new vessels giving two round sailings per day on the route Monday to Friday. At the weekends she lay up at the Ballylumford oil jetty on the Islandmagee side of the harbour or else she lay at a free berth at the Larne side. Although the ship was stern loading only making her seem rather antiquated compared to her two running mates, her unlimited height clearance on the upper vehicle deck proved useful for carrying over height trailers that the other ferries could not accommodate.


The European Freighter pictured at Ballylumford Oil Jetty on 9/5/92 - her usual weekend lay by berth during the 1992 season. Photo: Aubrey Dale (click to enlarge)	European Freighter arriving at Larne with the 0745 freight sailing from Cairnryan. Photo: Aubrey Dale (click to enlarge)

The ship's new role was also to provide relief cover back at her original home of Felixstowe. She covered there during the winter of 1992/1993 and covered at Larne too before being withdrawn from service in April 1993. At the time P&O were facing stiff competition from their rivals Sealink on the Larne - Stranraer route as well as from Seacat Scotland on the newly established Belfast to Stranraer route, introduced by Sea Containers in June 1992. Time was not just quite right for a continued three ship operation to Cairnryan, but by 1995 the 3rd ship was to return in the shape of European Endeavour, but it was too late for the European Freighter.

After withdrawal on the 3rd of April 1993 the European Freighter was laid up on the River Fal before being sold to Med Link Lines later in the month. The ship was renamed Afrodite II and departed for service across the Adriatic Sea from Patras (Greece) to Brindisi (Italy) with additional calls also made at Igoumenitsa (Italy) in the summer. Her accommodation was built out over her open upper deck which was partially enclosed for use by passengers camping on board in their camper vans. Large holes were cut into the side shell plating to provide adequate ventilation for the campers and a ramp was built on her starboard side to allow access from single deck ramps.

In later years she was to receive additional deckhouses on top of this extension that boosted her passenger capacity up to 500. Although the new accommodation areas were finished in newer up to date materials the original accommodation block at the forward end remained largely intact from her Larne - Cairnryan days. Many of her original fixtures and fittings, with her from when she was built, remained in these areas. There were some external clues to her past history, the Med Link Lines flag logo on the funnel was painted using the outline of the previous P&O flag logo while the ASN arrow symbol on her bows, lost in the late 1970s when she received Townsend Thoresen orange, reappeared painted in blue on her white hull.

Afrodite II (ex Europic Ferry) seen in service across the Adriatic Sea after her sale from the P&O fleet. This angle shows the large alterations done to the vessel by Med Link Lines.
Photo: Steven Brown collection (click to enlarge)

The Afrodite II served this route until late 2002 when she was laid up at Askatos. She never sailed again in 2003 as Med Link Lines services were severely reduced and they operated with a single vessel, Maria G. There was speculation that the Afrodite II was to be used on a freight only link to Chios round in the Aegean Sea but this ended in nothing and the vessel continued her lay up. Being so old and with no further work on the horizon for her it was seemingly inevitable that she would end up at the breakers.

The vessel was renamed Ajman Glory in November 2003 and when she departed her long term lay up under her new name this sparked off rumours that she was sold for scrapping in India. These rumours turned out to be a false alarm and defying the odds of her great age, the former Europic Ferry didn't turn up on an Indian scrapyard after all but was next spotted in a Dubai dry dock in January 2004, where she was refitted for further service in the Persian Gulf sailing into Iraq. This spell in service was to last a further year before the ship breakers finally caught up with Ajman Glory and this time there would be no false alarms, no Phoenix rising once again from the ashes. The long career of the Europic Ferry and Falklands War veteran was finally ended in February 2005 when she was beached at Alang, India for scrapping. She has now went the way of her old operating partner on the Cairnryan route, Ionic Ferry (II), which was scrapped at Aliaga, Turkey in May 2003.

Thanks to Andy Graham and Afzal Varteji for providing the images of Ajman Glory beached for scrapping. Also thanks to Richard Seville for filling in the gaps on the Europic Ferry's service in the Adriatic Sea as Afrodite II.



Views of Ajman Glory (ex Europic Ferry) beached at Alang on 8/2/05. Photos: Afzal Varteji (click to enlarge)