MS ''Al Andalus Express'' (formerly ''Nord Pas-de-Calais'') is a freight ferry owned by

Eurotunnel Getlink, formerly Groupe Eurotunnel, is a European public company based in Paris that manages and operates the infrastructure of the Channel Tunnel between England and France, operates the Eurotunnel Shuttle train service, and earns revenue o ...

and operated by FRS Iberia/Maroc. She was built in 1987 by Chantiers du Nord et de la Mediterranee, Dunkirk (Yard No 325) for ''Societe Nationale des Chemin de Fer Francais'' ( SNCF) as a multi-purpose passenger and roll-on roll-off ferry for lorries and railway vehicles. After the introduction of

there was no need for a

train ferry A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ...

, so SNCF was losing money running her. She was acquired by SNAT and Stena Sealink in 1989, which operated the ''Nord Pas-de-Calais'' until 31 December 1995. From 1 January 1996 SNAT operated as SeaFrance. The vessel was renamed ''SeaFrance Nord Pas-de-Calais''. SeaFrance operated until November 2011, and was liquidated on 9 January 2012.

won the bid for the three of the former SeaFrance vessels the original name of the vessel was restored, dropping the ''SeaFrance'' prefix.

MyFerryLink MyFerryLink was an English Channel passenger and freight ferry company which began operating between Dover and Calais in August 2012. The MyFerryLink fleet consisted of two modern ferries – sister ships the and the – that carried passen ...

started running on 20 August 2012, although ''Nord Pas-de-Calais'' joined in November 2012 following a refit. Following MyFerryLink's cessation of operations, mostly cited due to financial issues, the ferry was used directly by

to carry hazmat cargoes that are not allowed on regular train services.

Service history

''Nord Pas-de-Calais'' was built in 1987 by Chantiers du Nord et de la Mediterranee, Dunkerque for SNCF as a

. She operated on the Dover (Western Docks) to Dunkerque route; in addition, she also worked as a freight vehicle ferry between Dover and Calais. ''Nord Pas-de-Calais'' had limited accommodation for 80 passengers. She stopped running as a train ferry because of low traffic due to the opening of the Channel Tunnel which offered a much quicker option for trains to cross the border. The last sailing was from Dover on 22 December 1995. The ''Nord Pas-de-Calais'' ran in a joint operation with SNAT and Stena Sealink. She was given

TOPS Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) is a computer system for managing railway locomotives and rolling stock, known for many years of use in the United Kingdom. TOPS was originally developed between the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), S ...

number 99001, previously used by MV ''Suffolk Ferry''.

SNAT

In 1989, ownership was changed to ' (SNAT). On 12 July 1995 it was announced that the agreement between Stena Sealink Line and French partners SNAT would terminate on 31 December 1995. From that time onwards SNAT would trade as SeaFrance.

SeaFrance

In 1996, ''Nord Pas-de-Calais'' was renamed ''SeaFrance Nord Pas-de-Calais'', operating for SeaFrance as a vehicle ferry between Dover and Calais. On 3 July 1996, she was laid up at Dunkerque and remained there until 29 November when she was introduced as an ordinary freight vessel between Calais and Dover. In November 2011, she was laid up in Dunkerque port, due to the commercial court ordering that SeaFrance be liquidated.

Eurotunnel/MyFerryLink

On 20 August 2012 after Seafrance was liquidated

began commercial service. The ''SeaFance Nord Pas-de-Calais'' was renamed ''Nord Pas-de-Calais''. She started service with

under the ownership of

in November 2012, after a full refit.

FRS Iberia

Renamed ''Al Andalus Express'' and registered under the Cypriot flag, the ''Nord-Pas-de-Calais'' was chartered from Eurotunnel by FRS Iberia, and entered dry dock in Campamento, near Algeciras for refit. She currently operates between Spain and Morocco.

Seaborne Freight

In October 2017 the ship was said by ''Ferry Shipping News'' to be lined up for use by

Seaborne Freight Seaborne Freight (UK) Limited was a company that planned to run roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferries between the Port of Ramsgate, England and Port of Ostend, Belgium. It was formed in April 2017 and announced its plans in October 2017. It was award ...

for a freight service from Ramsgate to

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

from "March" but it was not specified in which year and was not confirmed by Seaborne. Seaborne had been contracted by the British government to provide additional ferry capacity in the event of disruption caused by a

no-deal Brexit A no-deal Brexit (also called clean break BrexitBBC. (2019)''Brexit: Jargon-busting guide to the key terms'' (BBC) Retrieved 29 March 2019.) was the potential withdrawal of the UK from the European Union (EU) without a withdrawa ...

and the ship is one of the few small enough to fit Ramsgate's restricted docks. However, at the beginning of February the British government announced that it was cancelling the contract as Seaborne's backers, the Irish company Arklow Shipping, had withdrawn from the agreement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Al Andalus Express, MS Ferries of the United Kingdom Ferries of France Ships built in France 1987 ships