M.F. GARNATA

General National Maritime Transportation Co. (GNMTC)

Benghazi, Libya.

 

Photo taken in Istanbul, Turkey. 1986.

 

Built:

1975. Union Naval de Levante, Valencia, Spain.

Technical:

Overall length: 151.50 m
Beam: 21.09 m
Draft: 6.85 m
Gross Tonnage: 13868 tons
Passengers: 1000
Power: 16 cylinder MAN diesels, 2x8900 HP
Service Speed: 21.0 knots

Operating Routes:

Mediterranean and European cruises. Regular sailings between Liverpool and Canary Islands in summer and between Southampton, Amsterdam and Santander in winter under the flag of the Aznar Line. Lately operating between Southern Europe (mainly Italy) and Libya via La Valetta, Malta.

Sister (or similar) Ships:

M.F. Toletela (GNMTC, Benghazi, Libya)(Former M.F. Monte Toledo of Naviera Aznar of Bilbao, Spain) .

Former Names:

M.F. Monte Granada (Naviera Aznar of Bilbao, Spain).

Later Names:

None.

Owners:

- 1975-1977: Naviera Aznar of Bilbao, Spain.
- 1977-Present: General National Maritime Transportation Co. (GNMTC), Benghazi, Libya.

History and Current Status:

She was built in 1975 and delivered as M.F. Monte Granada of Naviera Aznar, Bilbao, Spain, in October 1975. She operated regularly between the Canary Islands and Liverpool and between Amsterdam and Southampton with occasional Mediterranean cruises, together with her 1974 built sister M.F. Monte Toledo. In 1977, they were both sold to the General National Maritime Transportation Corporation of Benghazi, Libya. They were rechristened M.F. Garnata and M.F. Toletela respectively. They have been used in the Mediterranean and Europe since on cruises and liner voyages out of Tripoli, Libya to Southern European ports. As of 2002, both sisters are still in service.

(email all info about her to ata.bilgili@dartmouth.edu)

Notes:

Having seen M.F. Garnata only a small number of times in the mid 80's, I do not have much to tell. She was just that regular cruise ferry that showed herself every now and then in Istanbul. The only interesting thing about her was the fact that she was from a contradictory country with very little cruising background. She was docked behind M.S. Fedor Shalyapin one summer day in 1986 and I just happened to take her picture while I was at it... In any case, her looks are from a time when some of the best cruise ferries were designed and she definitely deserves a place in history for this.

Links:

- M.F. Monte Granada from the Ferry Gallery site.
- M.F. Monte Granada and other Aznar Line ships from the Simplon Postcards site.

Line Drawings:

Other Pictures:

Postcards from My Collection: