 Condor Voyager in 2021 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | Nassau, Bahamas |
| Route | |
| Builder | Incat,Tasmania,Australia |
| Yard number | 057 |
| Launched | 29 July 2000 asThe Lynx |
| Completed | 2000 |
| Identification | IMO number: 9221358 |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 6,581 GT |
| Length | 97.22 m (319.0 ft) |
| Beam | 26.6 m (87.3 ft) |
| Draught | 3.43 m (11.3 ft) |
| Decks | 2 |
| Installed power | 4 xRuston 20RK270 (Each rated at 7080kW, coupled to a Reinjtes VLJ 6831 gearbox) |
| Propulsion | 4 x Lips 120Ewaterjets |
| Speed | 33 knots (service speed), 46.5 knots maximum |
| Capacity |
|
| Crew | 30 |
HSCCondor Voyager is a high-speedcatamaranferry operated byBrittany Ferries. Since being built in 2000, the vessel has borne the namesIncat Tasmania,The Lynx andNormandie Express.
Condor Voyager was built asIncat Tasmania at theIncat yards inTasmania,Australia.[1] Her first use was on charter to the Australian Trade Commission as a floating conference centre during the2000 Summer Olympics inSydney. Later that year, she was chartered toTranz Rail for itsInterislander service betweenPicton andWellington. She was renamedThe Lynx for this service and remained on the route until 2003 when she was returned to Incat.
In September 2004,P&O Ferries announced it was to withdraw their services fromPortsmouth toFrance,Brittany Ferries later announced it would run a fastcraft service betweenPortsmouth andCherbourg/Caen (Ouistreham) as a replacement andThe Lynx was chartered. In January 2005, she was renamedNormandie Express and sailed forFrance, stopping off inIndonesia to drop off supplies and equipment for thetsunami relief effort.
Also on board for the trip toEurope was the FrenchyachtSill et Veolia which was being returned to France after being damaged whilst on theVendée Globe round-the-world yacht race. After calling in atRoscoff to drop off the yacht and being shown off to Brittany Ferries management, she undertook berthing trials in Portsmouth, Cherbourg and Ouistreham before starting service in March 2005.
For her first year in service with Brittany Ferries,Normandie Express had a bridge and engine room crew supplied by Northern Marine and was registered inNassau but protests from Frenchtrade unions meant that from 2006 she would fly the French flag and be registered inCaen with a full French crew.[1] A further trade union dispute took place in 2015.
Brittany Ferries purchased theNormandie Express fromIncat in 2007.
In July 2021, it was announced that Channel Island operatorCondor Ferries was to useNormandie Express under charter agreements with Brittany Ferries. The vessel was renamed toCondor Voyager and replaced theCondor Rapide.[2]
Following a new 15-year contract awarded to Brittany Ferries by theStates of Guernsey and Jersey's decision to apointDFDS Seaways,Condor Voyager was redepolyed for a Guernsey-only operation, servingSaint-Malo andPoole, as well as a limited service toJersey.[3]