 Zenobia listing in June 1980 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Zenobia |
| Owner | Rederi AB Nordö[1] |
| Port of registry |  Sweden[2] |
| Builder | Kockums Varv AB, Sweden[1] |
| Launched | 11 August 1979 |
| Acquired | Late 1979[1] |
| Maiden voyage | May/June 1980 |
| Identification | IMO number: 7806087[3] |
| Fate | Sank close toLarnaca on 7 June 1980 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Challenger-classroll-on/roll-offferry |
| Tonnage | 10,000 GRT[3] |
| Length | 172.2 m (565 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 28 m (91 ft 10 in)[3] |
| Draught | 13.01 m (42 ft 8 in)[3] |
MSZenobia was aSwedish-builtChallenger-classRO-RO ferry launched in 1979 that capsized and sank in theMediterranean Sea, close toLarnaca, Cyprus, in June 1980.[1][4] She now rests on her port side in approximately 42 meters (138 ft) of water and was named byThe Times, and many others, as one of the top tenwreck diving sites in the world.[4][5][6]
Zenobia was built at the Kockums Varv AB shipyard inSweden and was delivered to her ownersRederi AB Nordö in late 1979.[1] She leftMalmö, Sweden, on her maiden voyage bound forTartous, Syria, on 4 May 1980, loaded with 104 tractor-trailers with cargo destined for theMediterranean and theMiddle East.[2] She passed through theStrait of Gibraltar on 22 May 1980, stopping first atHeraklion, Crete, and then toPiraeus, Athens, Greece.[2] On the way to Athens the captain noticed steering problems andZenobia beganlistingto port.[2] Following checks, it was determined the list was caused by excess water that had been pumped into the ballast tanks; this water was pumped out and she then departed for her second to last stop atLarnaca, Cyprus, before reaching Syria.[2]
She arrived at Larnaca on 2 June 1980,[1] where the ballast problem had reoccurred, engineers discovered that the computerized pumping system was pumping excess water into the side ballast tanks due to asoftware error, making the list progressively worse.[2] On 4 June,Zenobia was towed out of Larnaca harbor to prevent her becoming an obstruction should the worst happen[2] and was left at anchor roughly 1–1.5 miles (1.6–2.4 km) offshore.[2] On 5 June, with the ship listing at around 45° the captain dismissed the engineers and maintenance crew, and requested permission to return the ship to Larnaca harbor. The requests were denied.[2]
At around 2:30 am on 7 June 1980,Zenobia capsized and sank in Larnaca Bay at34°53.5′N33°39.1′E / 34.8917°N 33.6517°E /34.8917; 33.6517 (1,500 m, 4,900 ft from the shore) to a depth of roughly 42 meters (138 ft),[2] taking her estimated £200 million worth of cargo with her.[2][7] There were no casualties in the disaster.
ADiscovery Channel documentary investigated the theory whetherZenobia was sabotaged byMossad andMI6.[8][9][10][unreliable source?]
Of her two sister ships,Wawel is still operational as of March 2025;[11]SeaFrance Cézanne was scrapped in October 2011.
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The wreck is consistently ranked as one of the top 10recreational dive sites worldwide.[12][13][14][15] As a dive site,Zenobia provides a wide range of challenges toscuba divers, from a fairly simple dive to 16 meters (52 ft) depth along the starboard side of the ship (suitable for newly qualified divers); moving up to a more advanced dive inside the upper car deck and accommodation block, right up to extremely adventurous dives within the lower car deck or the engine room (which are only suitable for very experienced divers).[16][17][18][19]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1980 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
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34°53′22″N33°39′03″E / 34.8894°N 33.6508°E /34.8894; 33.6508
