The once-proud HSC AEOLOS KENTERIS of the ill-fated NEL Lines has been sold for scrap in Aliağa, Türkiye, after a 10-year lay-up in Augusta, Italy, where she spent much of the time partially submerged.
Built by Alsthom Leroux Naval S.A. in France in 2001, she was the largest and fastest high-speed craft of her time. Introduced on the Piraeus–Chios–Mytilene route, she offered the fastest crossing ever on the service.
However, high fuel consumption and recurring mechanical problems made her operation difficult. In 2007, she was sold to Pictor Shipping SA and renamed RED SEA I. She subsequently operated for Namma Lines between Safaga and Jeddah.
From 2011 to 2016, she was laid up at Salamis. She was later chartered for service between Augusta and Malta, but the venture failed and the vessel was confiscated.
In 2026, she was refloated and sold for scrap, bringing a significant chapter in the history of NEL Lines to a close.
She had capacity for 1,750 passengers and 450 cars, with a service speed of 40 knots.
Photo: Voyagair (Christos Chatzaras)
