French media sources announced that the ship “Venizelos”, owned by the Algerian Ferries Company, was detained in the port of Marseille, after its first voyage from Algiers.
Enhance its summer schedule
The Greek ship, chartered by ANEK Lines to enhance its summer schedule, arrived in Algeria on June 19, in preparation for the launch of its schedule of trips to Marseille, Alicante, and Oran.
A technical obstacle
However, this program encountered a technical obstacle, as French maritime authorities subjected the ship to a thorough inspection under the Paris MoU an international mechanism that allows foreign vessels to be inspected for safety and maritime compliance.
The “Violations”
The inspection revealed “Violations” whose nature was not disclosed, leading to the vessel being prevented from leaving the port until these deficiencies were fully addressed.
The incident may come as a shock to Algerian travelers, especially after a series of disruptions to the company’s flights in recent years, most notably the detention of the Moby Dada ship in Spain during the summer of 2024.
Algerian Navigation had been counting on the ship “Venizelos” to support vital routes that are in high demand from the Algerian diaspora in Europe, before it was surprised by this early suspension.
On June 19, the giant Greek ship “Venizelos” arrived in Algeria. It was chartered specifically to reinforce the national maritime transport fleet, in a strategic move aimed at addressing the increasing pressure on sea voyages to Spain during the summer season.
“Venizelos” boasts a capacity of over 2,000 passengers and a capacity to accommodate over 750 vehicles, making it one of the largest ships the national carrier has deployed during the peak summer season.
The current position of EL. VENIZELOS is at West Mediterranean reported 0 min ago by AIS. The vessel arrived at the port of Marseille, France on Jun 23, 08:38 UTC. The vessel EL. VENIZELOS (IMO 7907673, MMSI 237628000) is a Passenger/Ro-Ro Cargo Ship built in 1992 (33 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Greece.
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