Pegasus X

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The ferry, the third of a series of four sister ships, was ordered in the early 1970s by Trans Tirreno Express, which also owned the first two sister ships, together with the Espresso Ravenna. However, during construction, the contracts were sold to Adriatica di Navigazione, which intended to use the two new units on connections to the Middle East. On 22 January 1977 the ferry was launched at the Fratelli Orlando shipyard in Livorno with the name Espresso Venezia. On 20 July of the same year, given the tensions in the Middle East, the ferry was delivered to Tirrenia di Navigazione, for which she operated on charter until 1989, being used mainly on the connections between Livorno and Porto Torres, Genoa and Arbatax, Naples, Cagliari and Genoa and between the Campania port, Reggio Calabria, Catania, Syracuse and La Valletta. Once the charter was over, the ferry returned to being operated by Adriatica di Navigazione, for which it took service on the connections between Brindisi, Patras and Igoumenitsa.^[1]

However, in 1990, with the return of the Espresso Ravenna to Adriatica di Navigazione by Tirrenia, the Espresso Venezia was sold to the latter, being renamed Espresso Malta, returning to operate on the connections between Catania and Valletta. In 1992 she was then laid up in Palermo.^[2]

In 1994, she was sold to the Greek company Ventouris Ferries and, renamed Pegasus, she took service on the routes between Bari, Durres, Corfu, Igoumenitsa and Patras, where she operated until 1996, when she was transferred to the Aegean Sea, on the routes between Piraeus, Kythnos, Serifos, Sifnos, Milos, Kimolos, Folegandros, Sikinos, Ios and Santorini.In the same year,on 26 October,the ferry ran aground while sailing near Patroclus,being subsequently repaired in Perama.^[3]

On 12 November 1999 she was sold to Minoan Flying Dolphins and, renamed Express Dionysos, returned to operate on her previous route under the banner of Hellas Ferries in early 2000. In 2001 she underwent major refitting works on her stern and, in 2002, she was renamed Express Pegasus.^[4]

In September 2004, she was transferred to the Piraeus - Syros - Mykonos - Ikaria - Samos routes, where she operated until May 2005, when she was chartered to ANEN Lines, for which she operated on the Piraeus - Gythio - Kythira route.^[5]

From 25 July to 7 November 2008 it was again chartered to ANEN Lines, for which it returned to operate on the routes Piraeus, Gythio, Kythira, Antikythira and Kissamos replacing the Myrtidiotissa, stopped due to some technical and economic difficulties.^[2]

In 2009, following a serious engine failure, the company initially decided not to repair the ferry, considering it to be superfluous and leaving it laid up in Drapetsona. However, the shipowner later decided to repair it and on 11 June 2010 it returned to service on the routes between Volos, Skiathos, Alonissos and Skopelos. However, about a week later, on 18 June, it was then transferred to the routes between Agios Konstantinos, Skiathos, Alonissos and Skopelos, where it continued to operate during the summer season until 2014, while remaining laid up on the mainland during the winter.^[6]

From 8 September to 4 October 2011 she was chartered to Ventouris Sea Lines, for which she operated on the routes between Piraeus, Kythnos, Serifos, Sifnos and Milos. In the summer of 2015 it was transferred to the connections between Laurium, Agios Efstratios, Lemnos and Kavala, to which, in 2016, an intermediate stopover in Chios was added.^[7]

In the summer of 2020, she was again moved, this time to the Sitia, Kasos, Karpathos, Halki and Rhodes routes. However, towards the end of the season, the ferry ran aground near the island of Armathia, close to Kasos, resulting in a crack in her hull.^[8] Following this, Express Pegasus was moved on 9 September to Perama, where she was laid up, but never repaired. After about a year of layup, in October 2021, she was then sold for scrapping to Aliağa shipyards^[9], for which she sailed on 13 December under the tug Christos XXXIV with the name Pegasus X.^[10]

• Seabridge
• Grecia
• Venezia