Sea Speed Ferries

Sea Speed Ferries was a Greek ferry company operating from the Greek mainland to Cyclades in the Aegean Sea. The company was founded in 2018 and operated a single conventional Ro-Pax ferry. The company ceased operations in 2022, following a controversy with a Greek subsidised line.

This article is about the Greek ferry company. For the Franco-British hovercraft operator, see Seaspeed.

Sea Speed Ferries

Founded	2018
Defunct	2022
Headquarters	Piraeus, Greece
Area served	Greece, Cyclades,
Services	Passenger transportation Freight transportation
Website	www.seaspeedferries.gr

History

In 2019, the company bought its first and only ferry, the M/F Olympus built in 1976. It was due to be routed from Piraeus to Rethymno via Milos and Santorini. The maiden voyage turned to be a misfortune, as it hit a reef in Santorini and ceased routes for repairs. In December 19 of the same year, the first trip directly to Rethymno (without passengers) was taken places and the ship started sailing.^[1] The service was met with mixed receptions from passengers, and was criticized for delays and an extremely long route. A company spokesperson stated on a local radio station that "The traffic from Rethymno is recovering" and attributed the delays and long journey to lack of proper port infrastructure and sufficient traffic to sustain a direct trip to Rethymno. The ship also briefly hosted visitors for the Rethymno Carnival.^[2] Another incident happened in June 2020 in Rethymno with no injuries. It was eventually laid up and was auctioned several times due to debts by Revoil, a gas company. ^[3][4]

Kasos-Karpathos subsidised line controversy

In 2022, the company requested to take the Piraeus-Milos-Santorini-Anafi-Heraklion-Siteia-Kasos-Karpathos-Chalki-Rhodes subsidised line, then operated by ANEK Lines' M/F Prevelis. The ship was due to start sailings in Summer, however, it didn't commence the trip on time, starting a controversy among the local islanders, visitors and even the government. The company attributed that the ship didn't start due to a COVID-19 case in on a crew member and that people that were due to travel will be refunded. ^[5] The date for the maiden voyage was postponed, but that didn't end the controversy. Instead the route was given back to ANEK Lines and M/F Prevelis.^[6]

Fleet

From 2019 to 2022, Sea Speed Ferries operated the following fleet ^[7]

Ship	Flag	Built	Entered service	Gross tonnage	Length	Width	Passengers	Vehicles	Knots	Notes	Photos
M/F Olympus[8]		1976	2019	6.972 GT	142 m	23.5 m	1.000	450	20	ex Okudogo 3, Maria G, Elli T

References

1. "Ξεκίνησε δρομολόγια το Olympus - Στο λιμάνι του Ρεθύμνου αναμένεται γύρω στις 5 το απόγευμα". www.goodnet.gr (in Greek). 12 December 2019. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
2. https://www.goodnet.gr/news-item/chamila-ta-dedomena-gia-to-olympus-alla-me-anodiki-tasi.html
3. https://www.goodnet.gr/news-item/olympus-apo-tis-proties-stin-proskrousi-kai-tora-sto-deutero-sfuri.html
4. "Sea Speed Lines: Στο σφυρί για 2,67 εκατ. το πλοίο Olympus - Πώς απογειώθηκε η τιμή". Ημερησία (in Greek). 20 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
5. "Από αύριο θα εκτελέσει τα δρομολόγια στα νησιά μας το πλοίο "Olympus"". www.rodiaki.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
6. "Λύση για την ακτοπλοϊκή σύνδεση Κάσου και Καρπάθου". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
7. "The Vessel".
8. "M/F Olympus". ferry-site.dk. Retrieved 15 January 2020.