In a company announcement, Attica says the sale will generate a gain of EUR 4.9 million in its financial results for the second half of the year. LEFKA ORI was owned by Blue Star Ferries and most recently operated under the Superfast Ferries brand on the Piraeus–Samos–Patmos–Leros–Kos–Rhodes route.

The buyer’s identity has yet to be disclosed, but the ferry has been renamed DALEELA EXPRESS and transferred from the Greek flag to that of Antigua and Barbuda. DALEELA EXPRESS is now in the Suez area, which may indicate a buyer from that region. The choice of name could point towards Jordan-based Arab Ship Management, which currently operates DALEELA for Aletehad Line between Safaga in Egypt and Digna in Sudan.

Built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, LEFKA ORI was acquired from Japan by Strintzis Lines in 1998 for service in Europe. At the time, it was named VARUNA and operated by Higashi Nippon. The ferry has a trailer capacity of 1,800 lane metres and can accommodate 1,500 passengers, including 580 in overnight accommodation.

© Shippax