MV Mariam

See also: Maryam

Career
Name:	Venture 84, Trident, renamed Trident III in 1986
Owner:	Emeraude Lines
Port of registry:	France
Route:	Channel Islands — France
Builder:	Westermoen Hydrofoil
Completed:	1982[1]
In service:	April 1983
Out of service:	1996
Identification:	IMO number: 8205694
Fate:	Sold to Fergün Denizcilik
Saint-Malo Saint Helier Prior to 1996, the ship mainly served the Saint-Malo to Saint Helier route
Career
Name:	Fergün Express III
Owner:	Fergün Denizcilik
Port of registry:	Turkey
Route:	Northern Cyprus
Acquired:	1996
Out of service:	August 2009
Identification:	IMO number: 8205694
Career
Name:	Junia Star[2] or Jounieh Star later Ladi Faten[1]
Out of service:	2010
Identification:	IMO number: 8205694 MMSI Number 720624000 Callsign CPA860
Career
Name:	Mariam or St. Mariam
Port of registry:	Bolivia
In service:	August 2010
Identification:	IMO number: 8205694
Status:	In service
General characteristics
Class and type:	Westamaran W95 catamaran
Tonnage:	228 GT[1] 83 NT[3]
Length:	29.00 m (95 ft 2 in)
Beam:	8.00 m (26 ft 3 in)[4]
Depth:	3.1 meters[3]
Propulsion:	two 1800 hp main engines
Speed:	28 knots
Capacity:	approximately 200 passengers

MV Mariam is a Bolivian-flagged passenger ferry with a gross tonnage (GT) of 228 tons. Built in 1982 at Westermoen Hydrofoil shipyard, the ship is a catamaran 29.00 metres (95 ft 2 in) in length with a capacity of about 200 passengers. Built as Venture 84, the ship was in service with the French ferry operator Emeraude Lines from 1983 to 1996, serving a route between the Channel Islands and France. From 1996 to 2008, the ship was operated by Cypriot ferry operator Fergün Denizcilik as Fergün Express III.

As of 2010^[update], the ship is Lebanese-owned and operated as medical aid cargo ship which, in August 2010, was intended to sail to the Gaza Strip to break Israel's four-year blockade of Gaza.

Design and construction

The ship, built as Venture 84, is a Westamaran W95 catamaran.^[5][6] The Westamaran line was designed by Herald Heinriksen of Westermoen Hydrofoil of Mandal, Norway.^[7] Featuring asymmetrical hulls, the Westamaran models were designed as a replacement for hydrofoils, and were considered more seaworthy in Norwegian waters and easier to operate than hydrofoils.^[6][7] The immediate predecessor of the W95, the W86, has been called a "breakthrough" for high-speed craft in Norway, and according to Bjørn Foss of More and Romsdal College, Westamaran catamarans "dominated the fast ferry market in Norway" for several years.^[7] Westmaran ships have seen use world-wide.^[6]

The W95 has a maximum cruising speed of 28 knots, powered by two 1800 horsepower main engines that consume up to 625 litres of fuel per hour.^[7]

History

Venture 84 entered service as a vessel of the French ferry operator Emeraude Lines in April 1983, and was renamed Trident.^[6] While Emeraude Lines would go on to operate several W95 ferries, Trident had the distinction of being the only ship the company ever bought new from the builder.^[6] The company's advertising mentioned the ship's "large air-conditioned passenger saloon with a panoramic view and bar".^[6] Trident was used mainly for the route from Saint Malo to Saint Helier, on a 70 minute schedule with a daytrip fare of 195 French Francs.^[6] In 1986, the ship was renamed Trident III, often written Trident 3.^[6] The ship continued the Channel Islands-France service until 1996 when it was purchased by ferry operator Fergün Denizcilik of Kyrenia, Cyprus.^[5][6]

Renamed Fergün Express III, the ship joined a ferry service that had been operating since 1986.^[5] In January 2008 the ship was withdrawn from its class at the Türk Loydu classification society for reasons including an overdue survey.^[8] In August 2009, the ship was purchased by shipowner Ghassan El Assaad el Bakri of Tripoli, Lebanon and renamed Ladi Faten.^[1][8] In August 2010, it was sold to "undisclosed interests", reflagged under the Cambodian flag of convenience, and renamed Jounieh Star.^[1] The ship has recently been registered under the Bolivian and Jordanian flags.^[1]

As Mariam

As of 2010^[update] the ship is known as Mariam or St. Mariam. It is currently a Lebanese medical aid cargo ship which, in August 2010, was intended to sail to the Gaza Strip to break Israel's four-year blockade of Gaza. It sails under the Bolivian flag.^[9] The ship carries 50 women, mostly from Lebanon, but also a group of American nuns.^[10] Its actions are coordinated by Lebanese lawyer Samar al Hajj.^[9][11] According to The Guardian, the women on board have all adopted the ship's name and call themselves "Mariam."^[12]

Its first mission, in late August 2010, was delayed because Cyprus would not allow it (and its sister ship the Naji Alali) to sail through its waters;^[13] because Lebanon is still officially at war with Israel, the ship cannot go to Gaza directly from Lebanon and would have to sail through a third country.^[14] Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman was unequivocal in his insistence that the Mariam not reach Gaza: "Our position is absolutely clear and firm – under no conditions or provocations can any flotilla or ship harm our country's political independence and reach the Gaza Strip."^[15]

As of September 2010^[update], representatives of the Mariam voyage are in talks with Greece to use a Greek port for departure to Gaza.^[16]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Ministry of Transport (2010). "Mariam". Equasis. Government of France. http://www.equasis.org/EquasisWeb/restricted/ShipList?fs=ShipSearch&P_PAGE=1&P_IMO=8205694. Retrieved 2010-08-26.  (Free registration required.)
2. ^ "Lebanese all-women aid ship to head to Gaza". The Jordan Times (Amman, Jordan: Jordan Press Foundation). August 20, 2010. http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=29374. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Registro Internacional Boliviano de Buques (Bolivian International Registry of Ships) (2010-08-25) "Buques Actuales (Current Ships)" La Paz: Ministry of Defense http://www.ribb.gov.bo/index.php?mode=simple&type=Page&action=buquesActuales. Retrieved 2010-08-29 
4. ^ "Mariam - Sheepstype: Passagierschepen - Roepteken: CPA 860 - vesseltracker.com". vesseltracker.com. August 26, 2010. http://www.vesseltracker.com/nl/Ships/Mariam-8205694.html. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2010. 
5. ^ ^{a b c} Timoleon, Tim (May 2005) "Istanbul and Turkey Operators" Classic Fast Ferries Classic Fast Ferries pp. 12–14 http://www.classicfastferries.com/cff/pdf/cff_2005_5.pdf. Retrieved 2010-08-28 
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Timoleon, Tim (January 2003) "The French Connection" Classic Fast Ferries Classic Fast Ferries pp. 4–6 http://www.classicfastferries.com/cff/pdf/cff_2003_1.pdf. Retrieved 2010-08-28 
7. ^ ^{a b c d} Foss, Bjørn (June 1991) "Economy and Speed in Commercial Operations" First International Conference on Fast Sea Transportation Trondheim, Norway http://www.knvts.nl/S&W%20archief/Optimization%20of%20ship%20speed.pdf. Retrieved 2010-08-29 .
8. ^ ^{a b} Türk Loydu (2010-07-23). "Class Suspensions – Withdrawals – Reinstatments/Reassignments". Istanbul: Türk Loydu Foundation. http://www.turkloydu.org/TurkLoydu/getdoc/f7b125d1-a8e6-4eb0-8a60-42a14465d048/CLASS-SUSPENSIONS-WITHDRAWALS-REINSTATEMENTS-24020.aspx. Retrieved August 27, 2010. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Keinon, Herb (23 August 2010). "Lebanese ship delays departure to Gaza". The Jerusalem Post. http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=185651. Retrieved 24 August 2010. 
10. ^ "Power of women protest movements". BBC News. 20 August 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11037247. Retrieved 24 August 2010. 
11. ^ Kennedy, Elizabeth A. (19 August 2010). "Organizers: Lebanese ship to sail for Gaza Sunday". WTOP-FM. http://www.wtop.com/?sid=1972612&nid=500. Retrieved 25 August 2010. 
12. ^ Sherlock, Ruth (6 August 2010). "Gaza aid flotilla to set sail from Lebanon with all-women crew: Arabic singer joins crew of nuns, doctors, lawyers and journalists for humanitarian mission despite Israeli warning". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/06/gaza-aid-flotilla-lebanon-women. Retrieved 25 August 2010. 
13. ^ Bakri, Nada (21 August 2010). "Ship Postpones Aid Mission Set for Gaza". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/world/middleeast/22flotilla.html. Retrieved 24 August 2010. 
14. ^ "World in Brief". The Chronicle Herald. 22 August 2010. http://thechronicleherald.ca/World/1198122.html. Retrieved 25 August 2010. 
15. ^ "Israel – Interview with FM Avigdor Liberman on Reka Radio". International Security Research and Intelligence Agency. http://www.isria.com/pages/23_August_2010_4.php. Retrieved 25 August 2010. 
16. ^ "Activist group to help Palestinian refugees return home". The Daily Star (Beirut: The Daily Star). http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=118906. 

External links

External images
	Closeup of wheel-house.
	Several photos as Trident/Trident III'.
	Closeup of bow.
	View of port side.