Estrella Do Mar

The Estrella Do Mar alongside in Durban.
Photo by Derek Walker.

The Estrella Do Mar was yet another one of those small ships that ended up in Durban during the time when I used to visit the port. If my memory serves me correctly, the first time she came down she was on a refit, her usual area of operation being Mozambique/Mombasa where she served as a ferry. We went on board her, being shown around by Alex Costados who was later to become the managing director of the so-called "Coastal Cruises cc.". When her ferry charter ended she came down to Durban permanently, the intention I suspect was to do short "out to the blue" jaunts out of Durban, and operate as a static bar/restaurant while in the harbour. A venture that had failed previously with the long defunct Royal Zulu
She was built as "Santa Maria de la Caridad" by Union Naval de Levante, Valencia, Spain, for Compañía Trasmediterránea. Delivered March 1967. Lpp 59.50 m, width 11 m, draught 5.18 m, 1199 BRT. She served Balearics and Canary Islands traffic until 1982 and was sold in 1984 to Pyrgi Chios Shipping Co., Greece, together with "Santa Maria de la Paz" and "Isla de Menorca". After that her history becomes clouded until she turned up in Durban for a refit and mechanical. I have a later ship visit dated as 14/02/1994. I saw her a few more times after that, and then she disappeared, presumably heading for the breakers.
She did however, get a new lease of life and was sold to a Danish/Filipino company and rebuilt into a cruise ship for island hopping expeditions around the Philipine Archipelago. Called the Coco Explorer No 1, it was far from luxurious but lots of fun. In 2005 she was replaced by a larger, more luxurious ship called the Coco Explorer No.2, another former Spanish ferry that is best known for its stint as the Greek Islands cruise ship Arcadia. The former Estrella do Mar was thus retired and sent to China for scrapping in the mid 2000's.

The Coco Explorer 1 on a cruise.
Photo's by Jonathan Boonzaier.



The images are copyright to the photographer and may not be used without permission. Additional info available at Simplon Postcards , further information on her career, and photographs courtesy of Jonathan Boonzaier. Page recreated 14 December 2008