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This website has no connection with any shipping company, cruise line, boat operator or other commercial organisation
NEL Lines
This page is devoted to postcards and photographs of NEL Lines.
An alphabetical list of ships
shown on this page is shown below.
The Table
beneath gives links to complete history pages on selected individual ships. Below the table is a
Fleet List
in chronological order.
NEL Lines were in financial difficulties at the end of 2005. The fleet at this time was
Mytilene
,
Theofilos
and
Taxiarchis
, with the three fast ferries
Aeolos Express
,
Aeolos Express II
and
Aeolos Kenteris
all out of service due to engine problems.
Aeolos Express
and
Aeolos Express II
missed the 2005 summer season. Legal action against the engine builders continues.
Ships on This Page:-
Sappho
(1973-2002)
Arion
(1975-1981)
Homerus
(1977-1993)
Alcaeos
(1981-2002)
Odysseas Elytis
(1982-1985)
Mytilene
(1990- )
Theofilos
(1995- )
Taxiarchis
(1999- )
Aeolos Express
(2000-2007)
- later
Aeolos Kenteris I
Aeolos Express II
(2001-2007)
- later
Aeolos Kenteris II
Aeolos Kenteris
(2001-2007)
Aeolos Kenteris I
(2007- )
- ex-
Aeolos Express
Aeolos Kenteris II
(2007- )
- ex-
Aeolos Express II
Associated Pages:-
Blue Star Ferries
GA Ferries
Hellas Ferries
Minoan Lines
Strintzis Lines
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
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Table of Complete Ship Histories
Name
Other names
Built
Homerus
Trelleborg, Nissos Kypros
1958
Odysseus Elytis
Svea Regina, Regina, Scandinavian Sky, Tallink
1972
NEL Fleet List
Sappho
(NEL: 1973-2002)
Official NEL Lines postcard of
Sappho
.
Official NEL Lines postcard of
Sappho
.
Simplon Postcards release sp1140, issued March 1993, of
Sappho
.
Photo: © Jenny Williamson, Piraeus, September 1988.
Duncan photographic postcard of
Sappho
.
Arion
(NEL: 1975-1981)
Photograph of
Arion
.
Photo: Bruce Peter - Scan:
Fakta om Fartyg
.
Homerus
(NEL: 1977-1993)
Trelleborg (1)
was built by Helsingör Skipsvaerft & Maskinbyggeri A/S, Helsingör, Denmark for Statens Järnvägar (SJ - Swedish State Railways). She entered service in 1958 between Trelleborg-Sassnitz. Between 1972 and 1975,
Trelleborg (1)
operated between Stockholm-Naantali.
Trelleborg (1)
was sold in 1977 for the NEL Lines Lesvos-Piraeus route as
Homerus
. In 1993,
Homerus
was sold for Salamis Lines service between Piraeus-Limassol-Haifa as the
Nissos Kypros
. The service was suspended in October 2001 due to the political situation.
Nissos Kypros
was sold for scrap in 2003.
There is a complete history of this ship available
on this link
.
Duncan photographic card of
Homerus
.
Photograph of
Homerus
.
Photo: © Wilfried Heide - Scan:
Fakta om Fartyg
.
Alcaeos
(NEL: 1981-2002)
Official NEL Lines postcard of
Alcaeos
.
Scan: Kostas Vrahnos.
Official NEL Lines postcard of
Alcaeos
.
Photograph of
Alcaeos
.
Photo: © Pieter Inpijn - Scan:
Fakta om Fartyg
.
Odysseas Elytis
(NEL: 1982-1985)
8020grt - 126.9m long - 16000hp=21 knots - 1000 passengers/412 berths - 170 cars
Odysseus Elytis
was built as the
Svea Regina
by Dubigeon-Normandie, Nantes, for
Rederi Ab Svea
. She entered service for
Silja Line
in 1972 between Stockholm-Helsinki. Her sistership was the
Finska Ångfartygs Ab
Aallotar
of 1972. In 1978,
Svea Regina
was also sold to
Finska Ångfartygs Ab
, and renamed
Regina.
Charters followed to Polska Zegluga,
Brittany Ferries
and Karageorgis Lines, who renamed her
Mediterranean Sun
. In 1982 she was sold to Greek owners and renamed
Odysseas Elytis
. In 1985,
Odysseas Elytis
was sold a
DFDS
subsidiary and renamed
Scandinavian Sky
for cruising out of Florida for
SeaEscape
. In 1989 she became the
Tallink
, serving for various owners between
Helsinki-Tallinn
until 1996. Since then she has carried the names
Mama Tanzania, Eltor, Monte Carlo
and
El Safa.
There is a complete history of this ship available
on this link
.
Official NEL Lines postcard of
Odysseus Elytis
at Mytileni in 1965.
Scan: Kostas Vrahnos.
Logo from the card back of the postcard above.
Scan: Kostas Vrahnos.
Photograph of
Odysseus Elytis
.
Photo: Micke Asklander - Scan:
Fakta om Fartyg
.
Photograph of
Odysseus Elytis
.
Photo: © Fleet File Rotterdam - Scan:
Fakta om Fartyg
.
Mytilene
(NEL: 1990- )
Official NEL Lines postcard of
Mytilene
.
Official NEL Lines postcard of
Mytilene
.
Photograph of
Odysseus Elytis
.
Photo: © George Pop -
Scan:
Fakta om Fartyg
.
Photograph of
Odysseus Elytis
.
Photo: © George Pop -
Scan:
Fakta om Fartyg
.
Theofilos
(NEL: 1995- )
Theofilos
was built as the
Nils Holgersson (3)
in 1975 by Werft Nobiskrug, Rendsburg, for the
TT Line
Travemünde-Trelleborg route. Her sistership was the
Peter Pan (2)
. She was sold in 1984 to
Transport Tasmania
, for service between Devonport (Tasmania) and Melbourne (Australia) as the
Abel Tasman
. In 1985, ownership was listed as the Government of Tasmania. In 1993
Abel Tasman
was laid up following replacement by the ferry
Peter Pan (3)
, which became the
Spirit of Tasmania
.
Abel Tasman
was sold to following year to Ventouris, becoming the
Pollux
, and served on the route Igoumenitsa-Bari. In 1995,
Pollux
was sold to
NEL Lines
for service Piraeus-Lesvos-Chios-Thessaloniki as the
Theofilos
.
Official NEL Lines postcard of
Theofilos
.
Official NEL Lines postcard of
Theofilos
.
Early morning photograph of
Theofilos
arriving at Piraeus, 25th August 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle
Early morning photograph of
Theofilos
arriving at Piraeus, 25th August 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle
Photograph of
Theofilos
at Piraeus, 25th August 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle
Photograph of
Theofilos
at Piraeus, 25th August 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle
Photograph of
Theofilos
at Piraeus, 25th August 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle
Photograph of
Theofilos
at Piraeus, 25th August 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle
Photograph of
Theofilos
at Piraeus, 25th August 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle
Photograph of
Theofilos
at Piraeus, 25th August 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle
Theofilos
at Piraeus
Photo: © Robert beveridge 2007
Click to open larger image in new window
Taxiarchis