HSC Champion Jet 1

HSC Champion Jet 1 docked at Heraklion
History
NameHSC Champion Jet 1
Owner
Operator
  • Seajets
  • 2018-2020(charter): Naviera Armas
  • 2015 onwards: Seajets
  • 1999-2014 Condor Ferries
  • 1999: Tranz Rail
  • 1998: Condor Ferries
Port of registryLimassol, Cyprus,  Cyprus
RoutePiraeus-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Sifnos-Serifos-Piraeus
BuilderIncat, Tasmania, Australia
Yard number044
Laid down1 November 1996
Launched7 May 1997
Completed1997
IdentificationIMO number: 9151008
General characteristics
Tonnage5,007 gt
Length86.62 m (284.2 ft)
Beam26 m (85.3 ft)
Draft3.5 m (11.5 ft)
Installed power4x Ruston 20RK270
Propulsion4x Lips LJ145D waterjet
Speedup to 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph)
Capacity
  • 741 passengers
  • 200 vehicles

The HSC Champion Jet 1 is an 86m fast catamaran ferry operated by Seajets Ferries. She was until early 2015 owned by Condor Ferries and called HSC Condor Vitesse.

History

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HSC Condor Vitesse approaching Poole Harbour.

Champion Jet 1 was built in 1997 at the Incat Yards in Tasmania, Australia as Incat 044 but was not ordered by any ferry company. She was sent to Europe and arrived in July 1997 at Portland and was later moved to Århus, Denmark. By moving the vessel to Europe, Incat hoped that she would attract a buyer. In late 1997 Condor Ferries announced that they would again run services from Weymouth in 1998. The service was to operate to Guernsey and St Malo using the Condor 10 but in March 1998 Condor Ferries announced they would charter the Incat 044 and rename her Condor Vitesse for the new service. The charter had the option to purchase which was later taken up.

She operated in 1998 at a reduced passenger capacity of 500 passengers and 90 cars in order to provide space to transfer passengers from the Condor Express Poole-Channel Islands service should the need arise. Condor Express had suffered a number of mechanical problems during her first year in service in 1997 and also during 1998, these problems meant that the Condor Vitesse had to move to the Poole-Channel Islands service a number of times during that year. During the winter of 1999 Condor Vitesse was chartered to Tranz Rail for the Interisland Line service and carried the marketing name of The Lynx. She returned to Europe for the summer to continue operating for Condor Ferries.

In 2001 Condor Ferries and Brittany Ferries entered into an agreement to run a Poole-Cherbourg fastcraft service. Condor Vitesse was chosen for this service, possibly because of her French sounding name, and she began sailing on the route in May 2001 as well as operating for Condor Ferries in the afternoon between Poole and St Malo calling at one of the Channel Islands on the way. The fastcraft service was great success carrying double what was predicted. The summer operation pattern was a morning round trip between Poole and Cherbourg then an afternoon round trip to St Malo. In 2003 her livery was modified with the application of the new Condor Ferries and Brittany Ferries logos, it was altered again in 2007 when three flags were painted on the ship's side forward of the bridge. The flags are those of Jersey, Guernsey and St Malo.

On 14 January 2015, it was announced that she would be sold to Greek firm Seajets for an undisclosed sum with her sister-ship HSC Condor Express, owing to her replacement by HSC Condor Liberation. She was delivered to her new owner in late-February 2015, who renamed her HSC Champion Jet 1.[1]

Incidents

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Condor Vitesse was holed after colliding with the jetty in St Malo on 22 March 2008.

On 28 March 2011, she was involved in a collision with a fishing boat near the Minquiers whilst en route from St Malo in foggy conditions. A French fisherman died in the collision. Shortly after the incident, the fisherman was identified as Phillippe Claude Lesaulnier, aged 42.[2][3] A report into the collision was published in October 2011.[4]

Condor Vitesse in Brittany Ferries marketing

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Brittany Ferries used a variety of marketing names for the vessel in its publicity and ticketing. The ship has been advertised as Brittany Ferries Condor Vitesse and Vitesse. From 2005 she was referred to as Normandie Vitesse except in the Brittany Ferries information leaflet for the ship which referred to her as Vitesse.

Condor Vitesse carried small Brittany Ferries branding on both sides towards the stern. In Brittany Ferries publicity, the positioning of the Condor and Brittany branding was either reversed, or the Condor branding was removed altogether. Condor Vitesse was the first vessel to carry the current Brittany Ferries logo.

Regular routes

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Oct 2024

Sept 2024

June - Sept. 2024

June 2024

May - June 2024

Apr - May 2024

Oct 2023

Sept 2023 - Oct 2023

June 2023 - Sept 2023

May 2023 - June 2023

Apr 2023 - May 2023

Oct 2022

July 2022 - Sept 2022

June 2022 - Sept 2022

Apr 2022 - June 2022

Oct 2021

From Sept 2021 - Oct 2021

route from July 2021 - Sept 2021

(Mondays, Wednesdays, Friday, Saturday & Sunday)


Sister ships

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References

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  1. ^ "Condor Ferries sells Express and Vitesse to Greek firm". BBC News. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Man dies after ferry collision". thisisjersey.com. 28 March 2011. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "Police investigate Condor collision". thisisjersey.com. 29 March 2011. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "Collision Between the High Speed Craft Passenger Ferry Condor Vitesse and the Potter Les Marquises" (PDF). Bureau d'Enquêtes sur les Événements de Mer. October 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to IMO 9151008.

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