ELK (1977)

Service dates: 1977-2000

Official number: 377462

Shipping lines: P&O FERRIES; NORTH SEA FERRIES LTD.; POETS FLEET MANAGEMENT LTD.; P&O TRANS-EUROPEAN; P&O EUROPEAN FERRIES; P&O NORTH SEA FERRIES; P&O FERRYMASTERS LTD.

Ship type:

• Ferry

Roll on/Roll off Cargo Ferry.

Career

21.06.1977

Launched for Stena Container Line Ltd, London.

28.12.1977

Completed for Stena Line Ltd, London. Chartered to and managed by P&O Ferries Ltd.

28.09.1978

Sold to Standard Chartered Merchant Bank Ltd and others. Leased to P&O Ferries Ltd.

10.03.1979

Grounded when entering Gothenburg. She was refloated with considerable damage, repaired and returned to service on 13 March.

1982

Sold to Elk Leasing Co Ltd.

04.04.1982

Requisitioned for service with the Falklands Task Force.

12.1981

Chartered to North Sea Ferries BV, Rozeburg, for three voyages from Rotterdam to Ipswich.

09.04.1982

Sailed from Southampton with military stores, ammunition and armoured vehicles. At Ascension Island she was converted to operate and service helicopters and was fitted with two Bofors guns. During the Falklands campaign she made a number of runs into San Carlos Water to land stores and ammunition.

12.07.1982

Arrived back at Plymouth. Refitted at Smith's Ship Repairers (North Shields) Ltd, North Shields.

12.08.1982

Returned to service between Middlesborough and Gothenburg.

31.12.1984

Lease and management transferred from P&O Ferries to POETS Fleet Management Ltd.

07.1986/08.1986

Lengthened and extensively refitted by Ateliers Reunis du Nord et de l’Ouest, Dunkirk.

16.08.1986

Returned to service. Re-measured. Now 163.61m (536.8ft) loa, 22.90m (75.1ft) breadth, 14.65m (48.1ft) depth, 7.52m (24.7ft) draught. Gross tonnage 6,182 gt, net tonnage 2,802 nt, deadweight 8,593 tonnes.

03.02.1988

Re-measured. Gross tonnage now 14,374 gt.

25.07.1990

Lease and management transferred from POETS Fleet Management Ltd to P&O Ferrymasters Ltd.

1994

Re-measured. Net tonnage now 9,322 nt.

31.12.1994

Management transferred back to POETS Ship Management Ltd. Net tonnage 4,312 nt, Breadth 23.60m.

01.07.1997

Operators renamed P&O Trans European.

30.09.1997

Managers renamed P&O Ship Management (Irish Sea) Ltd and operation transferred to P&O European Ferries.

31.12.1998

Management transferred from P&O Ship Management (Irish Sea) Ltd to P&O North Sea Ferries Ltd.

28.12.2000

Lease acquired by DFDS Tor Line, London.

2001

Renamed Tor Baltica.

08.2003

Sold to Baltic Shipping & Trading Co Ltd, Belize, and re-chartered for three years to DFDS Tor Line.

11.2007

Sold to Baltic Shipping, SA, Riga, Latvia, and re-chartered to DFDS Tor Line.

Still in service

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Ship technical details (PDF)