RoPax10

NEWBUILDING / 51
“Villa de Teror”
On 29 January 2007 the RoPax vessel
“Viking ADCC” was ordered by
Viking Line at the Astilleros de Sevilla
Shipyard in Spain. However, completion
of the ship took much longer than anyone
could have anticipated. In June 2007 the
newbuild contract for the vessel was sold
to the Spanish investment bank Basalease
SA, who would charter the vessel to
Viking Line when completed.
– a Smart RoPax
Construction of the “Viking ADCC” began
on 18 December 2007 and the keel of
the vessel was laid on 6 May 2008. However,
until 2013 the half-built hull remained
at the shipyard with an uncertain future
following financial issues at the yard,
among other factors. The Vulcano Shipyard
in Vigo bought the hull and towed it
to their yard. Viking Line cancelled the
contract due to excessive delays, so the
Viking XPRS did not get a sistership. New
clients for the ship were then sought. The
long search for a buyer ended when the
agreement to sell the ship to Trasmediterránea
was signed at the end April 2017.
The ship should have been completed and
delivered before the high season of 2018.
However, the work was seriously delayed
once again, partly due to the poor economic
situation of the Vulcano shipyard.
Finally, in spring 2019 the ferry was ready
to enter service. Naval design and architecture
firm Oliver Design, based in Spain,
has created the interiors for the reborn
ship that is now named “Villa De Teror.”
The “Villa de Teror” is 139 metres long
with a 22 metre beam and has capacity for
450 vehicles, 1,500 passengers and offers
52 cabins with avant-garde interiors. Other
facilities include an outdoor pool, bars,
shop, nursery, Food Lounge and a VIP
area. The ship is equipped with two Wart-
Lorente Lambarri captain of Vila Teror
Juan Carlos Díaz Lorenzo
Juan Carlos Díaz Lorenzo
View on the bride, promenade and the cafeteria
sila engines, each with a power output of
9,600 kilowatts, driving two propeller
shafts and variable pitch propellers. The
“Villa de Teror” has a service speed of 22
knots, a gross tonnage of 15,966gt and a
Deadweight figure of 2,300 tons. The new
ship takes her name from the municipality
of Teror in the province of Las Palmas
on the island of Gran Canaria. The location
is especially well known due to the revered
story of Nuestra Señora del Pino (Our
Lady of the Pine) or Virgen del Pino
(Virgin of the Pine), patron of Gran
Canaria. At the site of the present-day
Basilica, the image of the virgin herself is
said to have appeared in a pine tree on 8
September 1492 to the first Bishop of
Gran Canaria, Juan Frías. Said to possess
healing qualities, Nuestra Señora del
Pino has become the patron saint of the
island.
The smart new “Villa de Teror” operates
from the port of Motril (Granada) to
Nador and El Hoceima in northern
Morocco for Trasmediterránea, a ferry
company now owned by Naviera ARMAS.
The ferry operates five times a week
with a crossing time of four hours. The
port of Motril is an alternative for those
traveling to the eastern part of Morocco.
Although the crossing is longer than that
of the services across the Strait of Gibraltar,
it has the advantage that people living
in the south of France arrive at the port
in Granada sooner than if travelling to
Algeciras. At the latter port there is usually
a great deal of demand and subsequent
long waiting times to embark in peak
season whilst Motril is a quieter port and
therefore has faster customs procedures
too. The FRS Group is also increasing its
RoPax and RoRo services from Motril to
Mellila and Tanger Med so Motril has a
bright future as a logistic hub and a faster
gateway to Morocco!
JPE
RoPax 10 / 03.2020