CHRISTOS XXIV is a veteran Panama-flagged ocean-going tug operated by the Greek IGMAR Towage fleet, formerly the Spanopoulos Group. Built in Germany in 1971 as FAIRPLAY IX, the tug spent approximately forty years under her original name before being acquired by Spanopoulos interests in 2011 and renamed CHRISTOS XXIV. Remarkably, more than 55 years after construction, she remains part of the active IGMAR towing fleet in 2026.
Designed for long-distance ocean towage rather than only harbour assistance, CHRISTOS XXIV is approximately 50 metres long, with a gross tonnage of 859 GT and deadweight of 677 tonnes. Her two Atlas-MaK main engines produce a combined 3,600 bhp, driving a single propeller, while a Schottel bow thruster assists manoeuvring. IGMAR currently publishes a bollard pull of 50 tonnes, although older Spanopoulos documentation and the official French accident investigation recorded 55 tonnes.
Vessel Details
Name: CHRISTOS XXIV
Former Name: FAIRPLAY IX
IMO: 7041625
MMSI: 370901000
Call Sign: HP3603
Type: Ocean-Going / Towing Tug
Flag: Panama
Port of Registry: Panama
Built: 1971
Builder: Schichau / Schichau Seebeckwerft, Bremerhaven, Germany
Yard Number: 1751
Current Fleet: IGMAR Towage
Former Fleet / Manager: Spanopoulos Group
Registered Owner: I.M.S. CHRISTOS XXIV S.A.
Length Overall: approx. 50.0 m
Beam: 11.30 m
Depth: 6.10 m
Draught: approx. 6.0 m
Gross Tonnage: 859 GT
Net Tonnage: 257 NT
Deadweight: 677 t
Main Engines: 2 × Atlas-MaK diesels
Total Power: 3,600 bhp / approx. 2,650 kW
Propulsion: Single screw
Bow Thruster: Schottel S-152 LLK
Current Published Bollard Pull: 50 t
Historical Bollard Pull: 55 t
Maximum Speed: approx. 14 knots
Accommodation: 12 persons
Current Status: Active.
From FAIRPLAY IX to CHRISTOS XXIV
The tug was constructed at Schichau in Bremerhaven, with detailed historical records giving keel laying on 29 December 1969, launching on 17 August 1970 and delivery on 1 February 1971. She entered service as FAIRPLAY IX, a name she retained for four decades.
During her Fairplay career she operated as a genuine ocean-going tug and was documented in ports throughout Europe and beyond. Photographic records show FAIRPLAY IX at Rotterdam, Liverpool and La Spezia, among many other locations.
In 2011, she was acquired by Spanopoulos interests and renamed:
FAIRPLAY IX → CHRISTOS XXIV
The change occurred in January 2011, and by July of that year the newly renamed CHRISTOS XXIV had already been photographed arriving at Willemstad, Curaçao, illustrating the international nature of her work.
Ocean Towage Career
CHRISTOS XXIV has continued to undertake long-distance towing assignments rather than being confined to harbour work.
In 2018, the tug towed the disabled general cargo vessel ACORUS from the Damietta area in Egypt to Thessaloniki after the freighter suffered engine failure. The tow commenced on 2 June and reached Thessaloniki on 9 June.
Later that year she was documented arriving at Rotterdam from Constanța with a newly built inland-vessel hull under tow. In 2019, she completed another operation involving two newly constructed barge hulls from Ukraine to the Netherlands.
Her international activity continued well into the 2020s. In January 2021, CHRISTOS XXIV was photographed at IJmuiden towing the vessel FAEROYSUND toward Vestnes, Norway.
VARZUGA Tow – 2021
One of the best-documented operations in the tug's recent career involved the former Russian tanker VARZUGA.
CHRISTOS XXIV departed Murmansk on 17 April 2021, towing the laid-up tanker toward a recycling yard at Aliağa, Türkiye. On the evening of 3 May 2021, while the convoy was transiting the English Channel in severe weather, the towing connection parted and VARZUGA began drifting.
French maritime authorities mobilised the emergency tug ABEILLE LIBERTÉ, naval aviation assets and rescue services. Weather conditions included winds of around 40 knots with gusts up to 60 knots, preventing an immediate reconnection.
After the tanker was secured, CHRISTOS XXIV eventually re-established the tow on 6 May, and the convoy headed toward Le Havre under escort. The incident subsequently became the subject of a formal investigation by France's BEA Mer, whose technical report lists CHRISTOS XXIV at 50.30 m LOA, 859 GT, 2,650 kW propulsion and 55 t bollard pull.
Still Active in 2026
Despite her age, CHRISTOS XXIV has not been retired.
The current official IGMAR Towage fleet continues to list the tug with 3,600 bhp, single-screw propulsion, Panama flag and 50-tonne bollard pull.
Recent operational history also shows that the tug remained busy into the mid-2020s. She returned to the Spanopoulos yard at Salamina following work off Ivory Coast in 2023, was photographed at the yard again in February 2024, and departed Salamina for Aliağa in May 2025.
Recent AIS information also continues to identify CHRISTOS XXIV / IMO 7041625 / MMSI 370901000 / HP3603 under the Panama flag, with the vessel recorded moored in the Salamina–Piraeus area during 2026.
Piraeus Connection
The connection with Piraeus is particularly strong. The tug has been associated with the Spanopoulos/IGMAR shipyard and towage operation at Ambelakia, Salamina, and has repeatedly appeared around Piraeus, Perama and Drapetsona.
CHRISTOS XXIV was photographed near Piraeus on 19 July 2015, at Perama in December 2015, and at Ambelakia in May 2016.
Interestingly, the vessel had already visited Piraeus before being acquired by Spanopoulos, while she was still operating as FAIRPLAY IX.
The original PiraeuShips entry from February 2019 records CHRISTOS XXIV with the same IMO, MMSI, Panama flag, 859 GT and German construction.
PiraeuShips Record
CHRISTOS XXIV was recorded in the Piraeus area by PiraeuShips during her long Greek-managed career with the Spanopoulos towing fleet. Originally built in Bremerhaven in 1971 as FAIRPLAY IX, the tug was acquired by Greek interests and renamed CHRISTOS XXIV in 2011. More than fifty-five years after construction, she remains part of the active IGMAR Towage fleet and continues to represent the traditional ocean-going tugboat generation through a remarkable record of international towing operations.
Original video footage © PiraeuShips. All rights reserved.
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