Andros-King

The Greek crew of the Golden Star Ferries shipping company that was on board the 'Volcán de Taburiente' of Naviera Armas to close the purchase and take it to the Aegean Sea, has abandoned the ship on Sep 23 by order of the Greek company. The ship has been docked for over a week at the Nelson Mandela dock in the port of Las Palmas, waiting for the Greeks to take it, but there have been complications. Apparently, the buyer shipping company has requested that a team of divers went down to check the underwater hull. Different sources of the crew that has sailed on board the ferry in recent years explained that the ship has been having a problem of cracks in the hull for years, due to the fact that four engines were installed instead of the two that should have been mounted according to its design, which were producing strong vibrations in the stern.

The “Volcán de Taburiente” will be handed over from the Armas Trasmediterránea Group to the Greek company Golden Star Ferries Shipping on Sept 17. The price of the operation has not been disclosed, but will be between 20 and 30 million Euros, at most. The crew will be relocated to other ships of the company. The ship was sold for several reasons, including some of a technical and financial nature, such as the cost that would be involved in updating it to the new environmental requirements, given that it lacks scrubbers.

The Greek shipping company Golden Star Ferries on July 24, 2024,has officially announced the purchase of the 'Volcán de Taburiente' from Naviera Armas which, it was inspecting in person in La Palma last February. The Greek shipping company, in a press release issued this day, announced: "Golden Star Ferries, within the framework of reliability, responsibility and evolution, is pleased to announce the purchase, with equal funds, of F/B Volcán de Taburiente ( ...). Our new acquisition will be one of the newest and most modern ships operating in the Greek seas and will mark the beginning of a new phase of development, making Golden Star Ferries a landmark in Greece. At the same time, it will contribute to further developing the group of islands that will be activated, improving their transportation needs and serving local communities. The ship will leave for Greece in September to operate in the Aegean Sea, although first it will have to undergo a remodeling to comply with Greek regulations, and will be renamed 'Golden Star'.