Regie voor Maritiem Transport - Page 5: RMT Multi-Purpose Ferries


Page 5: RMT Multi-Purpose Ferries


This page is one of a series devoted to postcards and photographs of Belgian ferry operators Regie voor Maritiem Transport (RMT) 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.


Ships on this Page:-
Prins Philippe (RMT: 1973-1986)
Prince Laurent (RMT: 1974-1992)
Prinses Maria Esmeralda (RMT: 1975-1995)
Princesse Marie-Christine (RMT: 1975-1997)
Prins Albert (RMT: 1978-1997)
Stena Nautica (2) (RMT: 1982-1983, Chartered)
Stena Nordica (2) (RMT: 1983-1984, Chartered)
Reine Astrid (RMT: 1983-1997)
Stena Nautica (3) (RMT: 1984-1987, Chartered)
Prins Filip (RMT: 1991-1997)
RMT Pages:-
RMT - Header Page
RMT - Page 1 - RMT Paddle Steamers
RMT - Page 2 - RMT Turbine Steamers
RMT - Page 3 - RMT Diesel Passenger & Cargo Ferries
RMT - Page 4 - RMT Diesel Car Ferries
RMT - Page 5 - RMT Diesel Multi-Purpose Ferries
RMT - Page 6 - RMT Fast Ferries
Associated Pages:-
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards - Recent Updates
Simplon Postcards - Home Page

Search This Website:-
powered by FreeFind Table of Ship Histories Name Other names Built Prinses Paola Tropicana, Sea Palace, Saint Lucie, Tropicana 1966 Prins Filip Stena Royale, Stena Aquitaine, POSL Aquitaine, Norman Spirit 1991 Stena Nautica (2) Stena Nordica, Hellas, Reine Astrid, Moby Kiss, Al Mansour 1975 Stena Nautica (3) Stena Danica (3), Stena Nordica (2), Stena Londoner, Versailles, SeaFrance Monet 1971 Stena Nordica (2) Stena Danica (3), Stena Nautica (3), Stena Londoner, Versailles, SeaFrance Monet 1971 Reine Astrid Stena Nordica, Stena Nautica, Hellas, Moby Kiss, Al Mansour 1975 RMT Fleet List

Page 5: RMT Multi-Purpose Ferries



Prins Philippe
(RMT: 1973-1986)

Set5 - T38 Prins Philippe, photo by FotoFlite







Prince Laurent
(RMT: 1974-1992)

Set3 - T17 Prince Laurent, photo by FotoFlite




Set5 - T40 Prince Laurent




T362 Prince Laurent.
Photo: RMT Archives




Set4 - T30 Prince Laurent




Set5 - T33 Prince Laurent






Prinses Maria-Esmeralda
(RMT: 1975-1995)

Set4 - T29 Prinses Maria-Esmeralda (as built), photo by FotoFlite




Set6 - T42 Prinses Maria-Esmeralda, photo by FotoFlite




Set6 - T46 Prinses Maria-Esmeralda




Set3 - T23 Prinses Maria-Esmeralda




Set4 - T25 Prinses Maria-Esmeralda






Princesse Marie-Christine
(RMT: 1975-1997)

Set5 - T35 Princesse Marie-Christine, photo by FotoFlite




T363 Princesse Marie-Christine.
Photo: RMT Archives




Set5 - T34 Princesse Marie-Christine, Prinses Maria-Esmeralda




Set1 - T4 Princesse Marie-Christine, in service 30/12/75 - 03/02/97




Set2 - T10 Princesse Marie-Christine, last departure from Oostende, 18/04/97




Set3 - T23 Princesse Marie-Christine, Prins Albert. Laid up Dunkerque, Summer 1997







Prins Albert
(RMT: 1978-1997)

Set4 - T27 Prins Albert (as built), photo by FotoFlite




Set4 - T32 Prins Albert (after stretching)




Set3 - T21 Prins Albert




Set1 - T1 Prins Albert, in service 07/03/78 - 28/02/97




Set2 - T11 Prins Albert, last departure from Oostende, 29/04/97







Stena Nautica (3) (RMT: 1982-1983, Chartered)
Reine Astrid (RMT: 1983-1997)

Stena Nordica (3) was built in 1975 for Stena Line, the last in a series of four ships intended for charter work. Her sisters were Stena Normandica (1974), Stena Nautica (1) (1974) and Stena Atlantica (1975). They were designed and built by Rickmers Werft, Bremerhaven, who achieved a very high vehicle capacity for the overall size, the downside of which was the very boxy appearance.

Stena Nordica (3) was delivered in November 1975, and entered service with Stena Line between Göteborg-Kiel. Between May and November 1975, Stena Nordica (3) was chartered to Marine Atlantic for their North Sydney-Port Aux Basques route. Unlike her sisters Marine Nautica and Marine Atlantica, she was not renamed. At the end of the charter, Stena Nordica (3) resumed service with Stena Line on their Göteborg-Frederikshavn route. Repeats of the Marine Atlantic charter was made during the summers of 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1981, separated by a period with European Ferries, on the Felixstowe and Zeebrugge route, through the winter of 1977-78. In September 1978, Stena Nordica (3) was chartered to Hellas Ferries, running between Volos and Lattakia (Syria) as the Hellas. This charter was repeated in 1980 and 1981. Name reverted to Stena Nordica (3) between these Hellas charters, which between February-April 1980, included a charter to Sealink for use between Fishguard and Rosslare. In 1980, Stena Nordica (3) was chartered to B&I Line for service between Rosslare and Pembroke Dock. She visited Birkenhead from November 1980 to February 1981 for engine repairs.

After the 1981-82 Hellas Ferries charter, Stena Nordica (3) was renamed Stena Nautica (2), a name previously carried by one of her sisters. She was chartered to RMT, who purchased her the following year in 1983, and renamed her Reine Astrid. Reine Astrid operated for RMT successfully until 1997, despite being much slower than other ships in the fleet. She initially ran between Oostende and Dover, moving to Oostende-Ramsgate in 1994. In 1997, Reine Astrid was sold to Moby Lines and renamed Moby Kiss, but was soon chartered to Comanav (Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation), for service between Algeciras and Tangier as the Al Mansour. Al Mansour was purchased by Comanav in 1998.

A complete history of this ship is available on this link.


Set5 - T37 Reine Astrid, photo by FotoFlite




Set6 - T45 Reine Astrid




Set3 - T20 Reine Astrid




Set1 - T2 Reine Astrid, in service 08/04/82 - 26/10/96








Stena Nordica (2) (RMT: 1983-1984, Chartered)
Stena Nautica (3) (RMT: 1984-1987, Chartered)

Stena Danica (3) was built by Brodogradiliste Jozo Lozovina Mosor, Trogir, Yugoslavia, one of four similar ships delivered to Stena Line between 1972-74. Stena Jutlandica and Stena Danica (3) carried 1800 passengers with 105 berths on the shorter Göteborg-Frederikshavn route, whilst Stena Olympica and Stena Scandinavica carried 1500 passengers with 870 berths on the longer Göteborg-Kiel route. The former pair were later enlarged with the addition of a second full-height trailer deck by Stena, whereas the the latter pair were stretched with new centre sections by subsequent owners.

Stena Danica (3) entered service with Stena Line in 1974 between Göteborg and Frederikshavn. In 1977, a second full height car deck was added, after which she returned to the Göteborg-Frederikshavn route. In 1981 Stena Danica (3) was renamed Stena Nordica (2). In 1983 Stena Nordica (2) was chartered to Regie voor Maritiem Transport, Oostende, Belgium (RTM), for service between Oostende-Dover. In 1984, Stena Nordica (2) was renamed Stena Nautica (3). The RTM charter ended in 1986, and Stena Nautica (3) was transferred to Stena Cargo and laid up in Göteborg.

In 1987, Stena Nautica (3) was chartered to SNCF for service between Newhaven-Dieppe as the Versailles. She was purchased the following year. In 1992 Versailles was chartered to Sealink Stena Line as the Stena Londoner, remaining on the Newhaven-Dieppe service. The charter was ended in 1996, and Stena Londoner moved to the Dover-Calais route with SeaFrance as the SeaFrance Monet. She suffered from recurrent engine problems, and spent much of her time laid up at Dunkerque. In 2000 SeaFrance Monet was sold to Naviera Armas S.A. and sailed to Vigo for refurbishing, re-entering service on Canary Islands services as the Volcan de Tacande in September 2000.

A complete history of this ship is available on this link.


Set3 - T22 Stena Nordica, photo by FotoFlite







Prins Filip
(RMT: 1991-1997)
Built as Prins Filip for the RTM Dover-Oostende service in 1991, although she did not enter service until 1992. Withdrawn 1997 when RTM ceased operations. Bought by a Stena Group company in 1998, and chartered to P&O Stena Line as Stena Royal for freight operations between Dover and Zeebrugge. Charter extended and renamed POSL Aquitaine. In 1999 began to carry passengers again on the Dover-Calais route. Transferred to P&O in August 2002 and renamed Pride of Aquitaine. Received new P&O livery for 2003 season. Chartered by P&O from Stena Line until 2005, she was retired early in May 2005. In October 2005 she started a new service from le Havre to Portsmouth as Norman Spirit, operated by LD Lines.


Tropic Postcards T3 Prins Filip, in service 15/05/92 - 28/02/97
Photo: © Mike Louagie




Tropic Postcards T9 Prins Filip, last departure from Oostende, 25/04/97
Photo: © Mike Louagie




Tropic Postcards T19 PRINCESSE MARIE-CHRISTINE, Prins Filip & PRINS ALBERT, Laid up 04/97
Photo: © Mike Louagie




Tropic Postcards T26 Prins Filip, Laid up Dunkerque, Summer 97
Photo: © Mike Louagie




Tropic Postcards T43 STENA NAUTICA, Prins Filip, PRINCESSE MARIE-CHRISTINE & PRINS ALBERT
Laid up in Dunkerque, Summer 1997
Photo: © Mike Louagie




Tropic Postcards T60 Prins Filip, at Dover Eastern Docks, 29/10/92 (Edition of 500)
Photo: © Mike Louagie




Tropic Postcards T90 Prins Filip
Photo: © Mike Louagie






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Free Web Counter Times viewed since 12/12/2008:

Name	Other names	Built
Prinses Paola	Tropicana, Sea Palace, Saint Lucie, Tropicana	1966
Prins Filip	Stena Royale, Stena Aquitaine, POSL Aquitaine, Norman Spirit	1991
Stena Nautica (2)	Stena Nordica, Hellas, Reine Astrid, Moby Kiss, Al Mansour	1975
Stena Nautica (3)	Stena Danica (3), Stena Nordica (2), Stena Londoner, Versailles, SeaFrance Monet	1971
Stena Nordica (2)	Stena Danica (3), Stena Nautica (3), Stena Londoner, Versailles, SeaFrance Monet	1971
Reine Astrid	Stena Nordica, Stena Nautica, Hellas, Moby Kiss, Al Mansour	1975