MV Express Santorini

Express Santorini is a ferry which was built in 1973 as the train ferry Chartres for SNCF. She was chartered by the French Government during the First Gulf War and was sold by SNCF in 1993 to Agapitos Line and renamed Express Santorini. She was sold to Minoan Flying Dolphins in 1999 and has operated on charter to Atlantico Line in the Azores since 2007.

Description
The ship is 115.40 m long, with a beam of 19.23 m and a draught of 4.19 m. She is assessed at,. She is powered by two Pielstick 16PC2V400 diesel engines producing 11768 kW.

History
Chartres was built in 1973 by Dubigeon-Normandie SA, Nantes as Yard Number 137 for SNCF. She was launched on 12 September 1973 and completed in January 1973. The IMO Number 7330040 is allocated. Her port of registry was Calais. She was delivered to SNCF on 9 January 1973 and visited Boulogne, Calais and Dunkerque on 15 February. Chartres entered service on the Dunkerque - Dover route on 25 February. She was christened at Calais on 6 March 1973. From 1973, Chartres operated as a car and passenger ferry on the Boulogne - Dover and Calais - Dover routes during the summer; and as a train ferry on the Dunkerque - Dover route during the winter. In 1975-76, she was operated on the Dieppe - Newhaven routes. Chartres collided with the Calais pilot boat Louis Magniez in 1978.

Chartres operated on the Dieppe - Newhaven route from 29 May 1982. She was placed into service on the Dunkerque - Dover route in 1986 and again in 1988. On 25 January 1990, Chartres collided with the breakwater at Dieppe and was severely damaged. She was repaired at Rouen and re-entered service on 3 June on the Calais - Dover route. Due to a blockade of Calais later that month, Chartres operated on the Boulogne - Dover route before spending the last week of June on the Zeebrugge - Dover route. In October, she was switched to the Boulogne - Folkestone route. Chartres was chartered by the French Government in December for use as a troopship during the First Gulf War. She operated between Toulon and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia until June 1991. On return from trooping duties, she was chartered by Angleterre-Lorraine-Alsace, the French subsidiary of Sealink. During the winter of 1991-92, she operated on the Dún Laoghaire - Holyhead route. In May 1993, she was placed in service on the Calais - Dover route, making her final voyages on 24 September.

Chartres was sold to Agapitos Line, Piraeus, Greece on 5 November 1993 and was renamed Express Santorini. She departed from Calais for Piraeus on 21 December. From 1994, she operated the Piraeus - Paros - Naxos - Santorini route. On 8 November 1999, Express Santorini was sold to Minoan Flying Dolphins and was operated under the management of Hellas Ferries. She operated on the Piraeus - Naxos - Ios - Santorini route. In June 2006, Express Santorini suffered a major engine failure and was laid up in Drapetsona. In May 2007, she was chartered to Atlanticoline and put into service in the Azores on the Faial - Pico - São Jorge route until 30 September. Following a further period laid up at Drapetsona, Express Santorini was again chartered by Atlanticoline between June and September 2008; she was also chartered between May and October in 2009 and 2010.