Built in Japan in 1990 as ROKKO MARU, the vessel spent her first nine years on the Kobe–Takamatsu service before being acquired by Greek interests in 1999. After extensive conversion at Perama, she entered Greek domestic service as EKATERINI P, initially connecting Igoumenitsa with Corfu before moving permanently to the Aegean and the Cyclades in 2012.
More than 36 years after construction, EKATERINI P remains active in 2026.
Vessel Details
Current Name: EKATERINI P
Former Name: ROKKO MARU
IMO: 9000443
MMSI: 237044600
Call Sign: SYZJ
Type: Passenger / Ro-Ro Ferry
Flag: Greece
Port of Registry: Piraeus
Built: 1990
Builder: Shin Kurushima Dockyard Co., Akitsu, Japan
Yard Number: 2681
Launched: 9 February 1990
Delivered: May 1990
Entered Service: 5 June 1990
Current Operator: Fast Ferries
Class: Bureau Veritas
Original Length Overall: approx. 116.50 m
Current Published Length: 121.45 m
Beam: 18.00 m
Draught: approx. 4.50 m
Gross Tonnage: approx. 3,250 GT
Deadweight: approx. 1,300 t
Current Main Engines: 2 × MaK-Caterpillar 8M32C
Total Main Engine Power: approx. 7,200 kW
Original Main Engines: 2 × Daihatsu 6DLM-40
Maximum Speed: approx. 20 knots
Passenger Capacity: 1,127
Vehicle Capacity: approx. 220 cars, or 75 cars and 38 trucks
Lane Metres: approx. 500 m
Current Status: Active.
Built in Japan as ROKKO MARU
The vessel was constructed at Shin Kurushima Dockyard in Akitsu, Japan, as yard number 2681.
Launched on 9 February 1990, she was delivered to Kansai Kisen Kaisha in May and entered service on 5 June 1990 under the name:
ROKKO MARU
Her original route connected:
Kobe – Takamatsu
linking Honshu with Shikoku.
ROKKO MARU remained on this service throughout the 1990s before being sold to Greek interests in 1999.
Her name history is therefore unusually simple:
ROKKO MARU → EKATERINI P
Arrival in Greece
In 1999, ROKKO MARU was acquired by the company that developed into today's Fast Ferries.
After arriving in Greece, the vessel was taken to the Perama ship-repair zone, where she underwent an extensive reconstruction to adapt the Japanese domestic ferry to Greek operating requirements.
She emerged from the conversion as:
EKATERINI P
and entered service in 2000 on the short but heavily travelled:
Igoumenitsa – Corfu
route.
For more than a decade, EKATERINI P became closely associated with the Ionian Sea and the connection between mainland Epirus and Corfu.
From the Ionian Sea to Rafina
The development of Fast Ferries gradually shifted the company's attention toward the Cyclades.
The introduction of THEOLOGOS P on the Rafina–Andros–Tinos–Mykonos route proved successful, and at the end of the 2011 season the company decided to transfer EKATERINI P from the Ionian Sea to the Aegean.
Before entering her new service, the vessel underwent another substantial reconstruction.
The works included modifications to both the bow and stern, changes that gave EKATERINI P much of the external appearance she retains today.
On 12 July 2012, she entered service from:
Rafina – Andros – Tinos – Mykonos
alongside THEOLOGOS P.
A Familiar Ferry of the Cyclades
From 2012 onward, EKATERINI P became one of the characteristic conventional ferries of Rafina.
Depending on the season, her itineraries have included combinations of:
Andros
Tinos
Mykonos
Naxos
Paros
and occasionally Koufonisi.
In the summer seasons of 2016 and 2018, she notably operated the Rafina–Tinos–Mykonos–Naxos route, while later schedules continued to expand farther into the central Cyclades.
Major Engine Failure in 2019
The vessel's career suffered a major interruption in 2019.
EKATERINI P experienced a serious main-engine failure while at Rafina, preventing her from operating during the summer season.
The damage ultimately led Fast Ferries to make a major long-term investment in the vessel rather than retire her.
She was transferred to Perama, where her original Daihatsu main engines were removed.
Completely New Main Engines
In early 2020, two new MaK-Caterpillar 8M32C diesel engines were shipped from Germany to Greece specifically for EKATERINI P.
The new engines were installed at the Perama ship-repair zone in March 2020.
Together they produce approximately:
7,200 kW
and replaced the original Japanese-built Daihatsu machinery, which had powered the vessel since 1990.
The project was effectively a major repowering of a ferry already thirty years old and represented a significant investment in extending her operational life.
Following completion of repairs and subsequent trials, EKATERINI P returned to commercial service in 2021.
Minor Collision at Tinos in 2023
On 2 June 2023, EKATERINI P was involved in a minor incident while berthed at Tinos.
The high-speed ferry CHAMPION JET 1 made light contact with the stationary EKATERINI P while manoeuvring into port.
No injuries or pollution were reported, and after inspections and confirmation of class both vessels were permitted to continue their voyages.
An Unusual Piraeus Service in 2026
Although EKATERINI P is primarily identified with Rafina, in May 2026 she was also employed from Piraeus on a much longer Cyclades itinerary.
On 20 May 2026, she was operating:
Piraeus – Serifos – Sifnos – Milos – Folegandros – Sikinos – Ios – Santorini
when she experienced a malfunction of her port main engine after departing Milos.
The vessel continued under her own power at reduced speed directly to Santorini.
According to the Hellenic Coast Guard, there were 132 passengers, 65 vehicles, 114 trucks and 51 crew members aboard. No injury or pollution occurred.
The episode is particularly interesting in the vessel's history because it documents EKATERINI P operating commercially from Piraeus, rather than her traditional base at Rafina.
Back to the Rafina–Cyclades Network
For the 2026 season, Fast Ferries officially continues to include EKATERINI P among the vessels serving its Rafina network.
The published summer schedule includes sailings on:
Rafina – Tinos – Mykonos – Naxos
with services extended to Paros during part of the high season.
Together with THEOLOGOS P and FAST FERRIES ANDROS, EKATERINI P remains part of the company's core conventional ferry presence at Rafina.
Piraeus Connection
EKATERINI P has an especially strong connection with the wider Piraeus maritime area, despite spending most of her commercial career away from the port.
She has been registered at Piraeus since entering Greek service, carrying Piraeus registry number N.P. 10668.
Her first major Greek reconstruction was carried out at Perama after her acquisition in 1999.
She returned to the Piraeus ship-repair zone for another major conversion before entering Cyclades service in 2012.
Most significantly, she spent an extended period at Perama during 2019–2020, when her engine room was rebuilt and two new MaK main engines were installed.
The ship has also been repeatedly photographed in Piraeus itself, including documented visits in February 2025 and March 2026.
PiraeuShips Record
EKATERINI P was recorded by PiraeuShips during the Greek stage of an exceptionally long career that began in Japan in 1990. Originally built as ROKKO MARU for the Kobe–Takamatsu service, she was acquired by Greek interests in 1999, extensively rebuilt at Perama and entered service as EKATERINI P. After more than a decade on the Igoumenitsa–Corfu route, she moved to Rafina in 2012 and became one of the most familiar conventional ferries serving the Cyclades. A major repowering in 2020, when her original Daihatsu engines were replaced by new MaK-Caterpillar machinery, significantly extended her operational career. Still active in 2026, more than 36 years after construction, EKATERINI P remains one of the longest-serving vessels in the Fast Ferries fleet.
Original video footage © PiraeuShips. All rights reserved.
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