IMTC was a former Moroccan based shipping operator, founded in 1987. The IMTC group of companies (consisting of IMTC, CCL, Comarship, and IMTC Voyages) collapsed in 2013 following serious financial difficulties.
Ferry photographer and writer, Matt Davies took a trip on the first of the four near-sisters built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast for Sealink. In this article we share some of his photos and take a look at the first Sealink ‘Saint’ to be given a new lease of life in recent times.
The former Sealink and Stena Line passenger and vehicle ferry LE RIF (ex STENA GALLOWAY, GALLOWAY PRINCESS) has still yet to enter service on the Algeciras – Tangier Med route for new operator DWLM. It had been previously reported by NIFS that she would return to service in September or October. A
Reports from Morocco indicate that LE RIF (ex Stena Galloway, Galloway Princess) is expected to return to service soon, following an extensive refurbishment and overhaul. The Belfast built former Sealink ferry has been out of service since 2013 when previous operator IMTC collapsed.
Le Rif arrives at Malaga for dry docking Recent reports that Le Rif (ex Stena Galloway, Galloway Princess) had been sold for scrap appear to have been untrue, as the former North Channel favourite arrived in Malaga on Saturday for a dry docking. The ship (including 4 crew and a Captain appointed for the trip) was towed from Tangier in Morocco where she had been abandoned in 2013, though she had been moved to a different berth in the port since then. Initially the Harland and Wolff built ship will undergo an assessment of her condition taking around 10 days and involving 14 people. A budget of around €2.5m has been set aside for the overhaul and refurbishment, which will involve significant technical work and is expected to take around 2 months. The work will be undertaken at Cernaval’s Mario Lopez shipyard in Malaga. Le Rif had been laid up following a major technical … Read more
The former Galloway Princess / Stena Galloway is still in Morocco. The image of the former IMTC ferry Le Rif (ex Galloway Princess, Stena Galloway) being towed last month, which caused many (including NIFS) to believe she may be on her final journey, appears to have been a false alarm. As recently as yesterday (15/8/15) she has been spotted at Tangier Med II. It appears, therefore, that Le Rif was simply being moved within the port last month, rather than being towed to either further operations, or as thought, to a beach for dismantling / recycling. It has been reported by some sources that Le Rif has been sold to interests based in Dubai, however this has not yet been confirmed. As reported by NIFS a few days ago, former fleet mate and part-sister ship Ibn Batouta (ex St Christopher. Stena Antrim) has left Algeciras under the tow of tug Brucoli, with a … Read more
Could further service beckon for Ibn Batouta? The Ibn Batouta (ex St Christopher, Stena Antrim) left the port of Algeciras under the tow of the tug Brucoli on Tuesday, having been helped from the position she was occupying in the port by local tugs VB Twenty and VB Algeciras. Her apparent destination is Durres in Albania. Ibn Batouta had been sold at auction earlier this year for just €1,027,000, having been laid up since Janurary 2012 following the collapse of the COMARIT group (of which her operator COMANAV was a part). It is believed that Ibn Batouta may be the only one of the group of 4 COMARIT group ferries which have left Algeciras in the past few weeks not purchased for breaking, with the purchaser rumoured to have been the owner of the Italy-Albania ferry Red Star 1 (1965). Bari (ex St Anslem, Stena Cambria, Isla de Botafoc), a sister ship of the … Read more
Could the former Stena Galloway be heading for scrap? Following the bankruptcy of her owners last year, the Le Rif (ex Stena Galloway, Galloway Princess) is to be sold at auction, the proceeds of which will be used to settle unpaid bills. Bids are to start at 4.6 million Moroccan Dirham, equivalent to about £300k. NIFerrySite believes that Le Rif suffered a major technical failure before she was laid up, and has deteriorated inside in the meantime with no-one to look after her. Unfortunately, given the condition of the vessel and the low start price, her most likely buyer is probably a ship breaker. Launched in 1980 as Galloway Princess, Le Rif was the first of the final 4 passenger ferries built by Harland and Wolff, and consequently also one of the final ships ordered by Sealink before privatisation. EDIT: Click here to see the latest (as of July 2016) … Read more
In particularly sad news for Belfast and Northern Ireland, one of the final passenger vessels built by Harland and Wolff could soon be headed to a beach somewhere for scrapping. The Ibn Batouta (ex Stena Antrim, St Christopher) is one of 4 ferries which have been laid up in Algericas for over 2 years following the failure of owners COMARIT. The port authority is now pushing for them to be declared abandoned so they can be removed and auctioned to the highest bidder. The most likely destination considering the age and condition of the 4 ships is for scrap. Between 1991 and 1996 Stena Antrim served to Stranraer, first from Larne and then from Belfast when Stena moved there in 1995. Of the other veseels (Al Mansour, Banasa, and Boughaz) Al Mansour also served in Irish waters as Stena Nautica for both Sealink and B&I line between Fishguard and Wales. … Read more
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