The M/V ''Rosa Eugenia'', formerly the ''Coutances'' and ''Outances'' is a freight

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

owned by

Conferry Conferry (Consolidada de Ferrys C.A.) is a Venezuelan shipping company operating passenger and freight services to the islands of Margarita and Coche. Currently owned by Bolipuertos and the Venezuelan state, it serves the ports of Puerto la Cruz ...

and previously operated by

Brittany Ferries Brittany Ferries is the trading name of the French shipping company, BAI Bretagne Angleterre Irlande S.A. founded in 1973 by Alexis Gourvennec, that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between France and the United Kingdom, Ireland, ...

. It was built at

Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or v ...

shipyard in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

for Truckline Ferries and entered service in 1977. In 1985 Truckline was purchased by

and in 1986 they sent ''Coutances'' and her sister ''Purbeck'' to be lengthened which increased their capacity by 34%. In 2004 ''Coutances'' was repainted in

livery. She has sailed for most of her life between

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

and

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

though was briefly replaced by the in the early nineties. In November 2007 Coutances was replaced on most Poole-Cherbourg sailings by the ''

Cotentin The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; nrf, Cotentîn ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its w ...

'', a new freight ferry constructed by

Aker Finnyards STX Finland Oy, formerly Aker Yards Oy, was a Finnish shipbuilding company operating three shipyards in Finland, in Turku, Helsinki and Rauma, employing some 2,500 people. It was part of STX Europe, a group of international shipbuilding companie ...

. ''Coutances'' was withdrawn from service on 1 May 2008. In late July 2008 she was sold to

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

owners of the former ''Purbeck'', ''Coutances sister ship. ''Coutances'' sailed under the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

flag and was registered in

. As the ''Rosa Eugenia'' she is registered in

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...

On the morning of 4 September 2018, the ferry began to sink on the outskirts of the Eulalia Buróz marine terminal, located in the city of Puerto la Cruz, Anzoátegui state.

Regular routes

* Puerto la Cruz -

Isla Margarita Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the northeastern coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the island. History ...

As the ''Coutances'' with Brittany Ferries and Truckline the ship sailed on the following routes:- *

:Primary route from 1977 until November 2007. Then weekends only from end of November 2007 until end of February 2008. Sundays only from 1 March 2008. ''Coutances'' final sailing on this route was the 16:00 Poole-Cherbourg on 28 April 2008. *

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

:Weekly positioning move from end of November 2007. ''Coutances'' final commercial Brittany Ferries sailing was on this route on 1 May 2008.

Other routes served

As the ''Coutances'' the ship has also served on

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Ouistreham Ouistreham () is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy region in northwestern France. Ouistreham is a small port with fishing boats, leisure craft and a ferry harbour. It serves as the port of the city of Caen. The town borders the mo ...

) in the early years of the route where she provided extra freight capacity. She has also seen use on

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Roscoff Roscoff (; br, Rosko) is a commune in the Finistère département of Brittany in northwestern France. Roscoff is renowned for its picturesque architecture, labelled (small town of character) since 2009. Roscoff is also a traditional departure ...

and

Santander Santander may refer to: Places * Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain * Santander Department, a department of Colombia * Santander State, former state of Colombia * Santander de Quilichao, a m ...

. On 13 December 2007 ''Coutances'' sailed from Portsmouth to the Channel Islands on charter to

Condor Ferries Condor Ferries is an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between The United Kingdom, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Bailiwick of Jersey and France. Corporate history Condor Ferries established the first high-speed car ferry service to ...

to cover for the damaged ''Commodore Goodwill''.

External links

Brittany Ferries Freight official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosa Eugenia Ferries of the United Kingdom Ferries of France 1977 ships