Stena Pioneer
History
Name	1975–1997: Bison 1997–2004: European Pioneer 2004–2011: Stena Pioneer 2011–2014: Ant 1
Operator	1975–1989: Pandoro 1989–1993: B&I Line 1993–1998: Pandoro 1998–2004: P&O Irish Sea 2004–2011: Stena Line 2011–2014: Anrusstrans
Port of registry	1975–1997: London,  United Kingdom 1997–2011: Hamilton,  Bermuda 2011–2014: Giurgiuleşti,  Moldova
Builder	J. J. Sietas Shiffswerft, Hamburg
Yard number	755
Laid down	13 August 1974
Launched	31 October 1974
Acquired	24 January 1975
Identification	Call sign: ERMU IMO number: 7361570 MMSI number: 214181321
Fate	Scrapped in Aliağa in 2014
General characteristics
Length	142.81 m (468 ft 6 in)
Beam	22.02 m (72 ft 3 in)
Draught	4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power	2 x Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz 12M540
Speed	18.5 Knots
Capacity	76 passengers
Crew	34

MS ANT 1 was a ro-ro ferry operated by Stena Line between Larne, Northern Ireland and Fleetwood, England. The ferry did not carry passengers, insteading solely carrying freight.

History

The Stena Pioneer was built in 1975^[1] as the Bison. Initially ordered by Stena Line, the vessel was sold before entering service to P&O subsidiary Pandoro.

To cope with the increased traffic on the Fleetwood – Larne route the Bison was sent to the River Tyne in 1980 for lengthening. The vessel was cut in two and a new 15-metre section added.^[2]

In 1989 the Bison was chartered to B&I Line for four years and placed on the Dublin – Liverpool route.

On return from her B&I Line charter the Bison was rebuilt to meet the latest SOLAS requirements. This involved adding sponsons increasing the vessels breadth by 4 meters.^[3] Following this rebuilding the vessel's seakeeping was badly affected. To cure this the Bison was sent to Cammell Laird in 1995 to have additional weight in the form of an extra vehicle deck added to the stern.

In 1998 Pandoro merged with P&O European Ferries (Felixstowe Ltd.) to create P&O Irish Sea. The Bison was renamed European Pioneer.

In 2004 the ship passed into the hands of Stena Line.^[4] and was renamed Stena Pioneer.

In December 2010 the Stena Pioneer was laid up following the closure of the Fleetwood - Larne route. The Pioneer was sold to a Russian operator in June 2011 and renamed ANT 1.

Ant 1 & Ant 2 + Anna Marine (all the "Three Sisters") were Scrapped at Aliaga ship scrap Yards in February 2014.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to IMO 7361570.