SEMATUR Ferries - Gulf of California



Sematur Transbordadores



This page is devoted to postcards and photographs of the Mexican ferry company Sematur Transbordadores (Grupo Sematur de California), which operates Gulf of California services. Sematur was formed in 1989, out of state-owned Caminos y Puentes Federales de Ingresos y Conexos (Mexican State Railways). This pages show ferries of both companies. An alphabetical list of ships on this page is shown below. The Table beneath gives links to complete postcard history pages on selected individual ships. Below the table are official postcards of the fleet in alphabetical order.

Sematur routes operated in 2002 are shown below:-

Santa Rosalía - Guaymas: Ferry runs on Sundays and Wednesdays only (from both ports) and offers salon and tourist classes only. Travel time: about 7-8 hours.
La Paz - Topolobampo (Los Mochis): Ferry leaves LP Mon-Sat @ 11:00hrs. Leave Topolobampo Mon-Sat @ 9:00hrs. Travel time: about 9-10 hours. Wednesday & Thursday all classes are available, other days only salon class is available.
La Paz - Mazatlán: Ferry runs from La Paz 6/7 days a week (information varies as to weekend services), departing 15:00hrs. The Wednesday ship is a cargo vessel, and only salon class is available for passengers. Other days all classes are available. Departs Mazatlán 6/7 days a week at 15:00hrs, the Thursday ship is the same as the Wednesday ship out of La Paz. Travel time: about 19 hours.
Cabo San Lucas - Puerto Vallarta: This route ceased in 1989


All services ceased for a few weeks in February 2001, following which the following revised services commenced:-

La Paz - Topolobampo: route is now being serviced by another company, "Baja Ferries." The ship has been carrying commercial cargo for several years. Vehicles can be carried, but there is no general passenger traffic. Passenger traffic on the route is carried on a large catamaran which provides high-speed service between La Paz and Topolobampo. The boat does the round-trip in a day, taking about four hours for a crossing (35 knots). Both first and second classes are offered.
La Paz - Mazatlan: route is now being run by Sematur twice a week.
Santa Rosalia - Guaymas: route is being serviced twice a week by Sematur, with departures from Santa Rosalia on Tuesday and Friday at 22:00hrs.


I visited Mazatlan in April 2002, and the derelict-looking roro ferry Cimarron was running on the service to La Paz. Two other ferries, Loreto and Benito Juarez were laid up. In December 2003, Grupo Sematur de California maintain a website, mentioning a fleet of 6 ships, with pictures of the three Papenburg sisters, Loreto and Cimarron. However, only the La Paz-Mazatlan route is now listed, and the autumn timetable shows a daily servive each way using only Puerto Vallarta and Cimarron.

Following the establishment of a successful, privately owned ro-pax operation on the Gulf of California, the Mexican state-owned operator Sematur has decreased its competing services, resulting in laid up vessels. In a deal to decrease its capacity, two of the operator´s ships were sold to the United Arab Emirates in April 2004. It is the Papenburg-built Azteca (built 1975) and a former Stena ro-pax, Loreto (built 1977) which are now changing flag and trade area to the Persian Gulf. The two ships will be renamed Ajman 1 and Ajman 2, respectively.

Subsequently, the Santa Rosalía-Guaymas route was taken over by Baja Ferries., using ro-ro and ro-pax tonnage, plus the Coromuel of Sematur. Latest information in October 2005 is that Sematur has ceased operations.


Ships on this Page:-
Azteca - Built by Meyer, Papenburg in 1975
Benito Juarez - Built in 1965, ex-Ölänningen
Cimarron - Built in 1979, ex-Mercandian Exporter II
Coromuel - Built by Meyer, Papenburg in 1973
Guaycura
La Paz - Built in 1964
Loreto - Built in 1977, ex-Stena Timer, Jaguar
Presidente Diaz Ordaz - Built 1961, ex-Cort Adler of Larvik Line
Puerto Vallarta - Built by Meyer, Papenburg in 1974

Associated Pages:-
Baja Ferries - Mexican Ferry Company
Larvik-Frederikshavn
Stena Line
Viking Line - Page 1 - Viking Line Ships 1959-1978
Ferry Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page

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Table of Complete Ship Histories
Name
Other names
Built

Azteca
1975

Coromuel
1973

Loreto Stena Timer, Jaguar
1977

Puerto Vallarta
1974






Sematur Fleet List


Benito Juarez

Benito Juarez was built in 1965, as the Swedish ferry Ölänningen, used on the Gotlandsfärjen service between Sodertalje and Kapelshamn. She had a sistership Gotlandia.


Photos below show her laid up at Mazatlan on 3rd April 2002, alongside the Loreto.


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photograph of Mazatlan terminal from above, showing Cimarron, Benito Juarez and Loreto (left-right)






Cimarron

Cimarron was built in Denmark in 1979 as Mercandian Exporter II. Photos below by Ian Boyle show Cimarron leaving Mazatlan for La Paz on the 15:00hrs sailing of Wednesday 3rd April 2002. Loreto and Benito Juarez are laid up in the background.


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photograph of Mazatlan terminal from above, showing Cimarron, Benito Juarez and Loreto (left-right)






Coromuel 1973-2004
Puerto Vallarta 1974-
Azteca 1975-2004

Three Mexican Meyer-built Papenburg sisters were delivered to Sematur for Gulf of Mexico services between 1973-75. They each carried 696 passengers (compared to 1200 on Viking Line), with 182 berths (222-410 on Viking Line). Unlike their Viking Line sisters, all had stabilizers from new. I only have pictures of Coromuel; the other sisters were Puerto Vallarta (1974- ) and Azteca (1975- ). Coromuel and Azteca looked very similar to the Viking Line ships; whereas Puerto Vallarta had smaller windows below the boat deck. Azteca was sold to the United Arab Emirates in April 2004, and was renamed Ajman 1. She was then resold for breaking up Bangladesh. Coromuel was sold to Baja Ferries in 2004 and was renamed Sinaloa Star. Only Puerto Vallarta remained in the fleet in 2005.


A webpage dedicated to these sisters is available on this link.


Enlarged image from Cortez postcard serial LP-10 of Coromuel at La Paz.
Photo: A.Blanco.


Vistas Mazatlan postcard serial 10400 of Coromuel.


Photgraph of Coromuel from a Sematur brochure.




Meyer Werft photograph of Puerto Vallarta in Transbordadores colours.


Commercial postcard of Puerto Vallarta in Transbordadores colours.


Photograph of Puerto Vallarta.


Photograph of Puerto Vallarta.




Photograph of Azteca in Transbordadores colours.
Photo: Andreas Wörteler.


Enlarged image from Mex Sense postcard serial 9927 of Azreca at La Paz.
Photo: Claude Vogel.


Photograph of Azteca.


Photograph of Azteca.






Guaycura

Photograph of Guaycura.






La Paz

La Paz was built in Japan in 1964 for Mexican state-owned Camiros y Puentos Federales des Ingresos y Servicios Conexos. She served on routes La Paz-Mazatlan and, from 1973, La Paz-Topolobampo. In 1989 she was sold to the Mexican Navy for use as a troop transport, carrying the name/number Plan de Ingula (A 08). In 1993 she was renamed Rio Balsas (A23).

Sello postcard serial FA-103 of La Paz.
Photo: Claude Vogel.


Postcard of La Paz.






Loreto (1981- )

Loreto was built as the Stena Timer in 1977. She was one of a series of Stena Line ro-ro ferries built on the Danube in Austria, and completed after being towed downstream. She was delivered as the Jaguar, for charter use on the Pandoro service between Fleetwood and Larne, but was renamed Stena Timer in 1978 at the end of the charter. She was sold to Mexico in 1981, and renamed Loreto. Loreto was laid up when I visited Mazatlan in April 2002, but subsequently she re-entered service with a new Express Peninsular logo. Loreto was sold to the United Arab Emirates in April 2004, and will be renamed Ajman 2.

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


Loreto is shown below laid up at Mazatlan with Benito Juarez on 3rd April 2002 (photos by Ian Boyle).


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photo: Ian Boyle, Mazatlan, 3rd April 2002


Photograph of Mazatlan terminal from above, showing Cimarron, Benito Juarez and Loreto (left-right)


Subsequently the Loreto re-entered service with a new Express Peninsular logo.
Photo: Fred T.Metcalf.






Presidente Diaz Ordaz (1970-84)

Presidente Diaz Ordaz was built in Trondheim as the Cort Adler for A/S Larvik-Frederikshavn, entering service in 1961. In 1970, she was sold to Mexican state-owned Caminos y Puentes Federales de Ingresos y Servicios Conexos, and renamed Presidente Diaz Ordaz. She operated on the route Santa Rosalia-Guaymas until 1984.


A postcard of Presidente Diaz Ordaz in Mexican service (ex-Cort Adler).






Larvik-Frederikshavn - Stena Line - Viking Lines
Top of Page - Simplon Postcards Home Page

Name	Other names	Built
Azteca		1975
Coromuel		1973
Loreto	Stena Timer, Jaguar	1977
Puerto Vallarta		1974