PANORAMA is a veteran Greek-flagged Ro-Pax ferry built in West Germany in 1987, whose remarkable career has taken her from the Caribbean to the Greek domestic ferry network.
Constructed specifically for the government of Trinidad and Tobago, PANORAMA spent more than two decades connecting Trinidad with Tobago before being sold to Greek interests in 2010.
After conversion in Greece, she became a familiar ferry on the Rafina–Marmari route. Acquired by interests connected with Olympian Ferries in 2024, she subsequently served the Northern Sporades before beginning a new chapter on the Piraeus–Aegina route.
In 2026, almost forty years after construction, PANORAMA remains in regular passenger service.
Vessel Details
Name: PANORAMA
IMO: 8606044
MMSI: 241133000
Call Sign: SVAG5
Type: Passenger / Ro-Ro Ferry
Flag: Greece
Port of Registry: Piraeus
Greek Registry Number: 12061
Built: 1987
Builder: Martin Jansen GmbH / Jansen Schiffswerft, Leer, West Germany
Yard Number: 183
Keel Laid: 3 November 1986
Launched: 8 May 1987
Completed: 27 October 1987
Delivered: December 1987
Current Owner Interests: Smart Lines 1 Shipping
Operator: Olympian Ferries
Class: Lloyd's Register
Length Overall: 101.29 m
Beam: approx. 17.5 m
Gross Tonnage: 3,426 GT
Deadweight: 1,240 t
Main Engines: 4 × Wärtsilä 6R32 diesels
Speed: originally around 18 knots
Current Passenger Capacity: approx. 800 passengers
Vehicle Capacity: approx. 160 cars
Current Route: Piraeus – Aegina
Current Status: Active
Ordered for Trinidad and Tobago
PANORAMA has one of the most unusual backgrounds of any conventional ferry currently operating from Piraeus.
The vessel was ordered by the government of Trinidad and Tobago for the country's inter-island ferry service.
The order dated back to 1982, although several years passed before the ship was completed.
She was launched at Leer in West Germany on:
8 May 1987
and completed later that year.
A Modern Caribbean Ferry
When introduced, PANORAMA represented a major improvement to the maritime connection between the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.
Official historical records of the Trinidad and Tobago ferry service describe the ship as having accommodation for:
700 passengers
together with:
25 double-berth cabins
a conference facility and cargo capacity of approximately:
1,025 tonnes
She was placed on the route between:
Port of Spain – Trinidad
and
Scarborough – Tobago
entering regular operation in 1988.
More Than Two Decades in the Caribbean
PANORAMA remained associated with the Trinidad–Tobago sea bridge for more than two decades.
The ferry carried:
passengers
cars
commercial vehicles
and general cargo between the two islands.
For many residents she became one of the familiar vessels of the country's inter-island transport system.
By the late 2000s newer vessels had replaced her in regular operation, and PANORAMA was eventually laid up while awaiting a buyer.
Sold to Greece
In 2010, after approximately three years out of regular service, PANORAMA was acquired by Greek interests.
Remarkably, she retained the name:
PANORAMA
which she had carried since construction.
The ferry departed Trinidad for Greece and arrived in the wider Piraeus ship-repair area, initially spending time at Drapetsona.
In 2011, after another ownership change, she underwent the work necessary to prepare her for Greek coastal service.
Rafina – Marmari
On 26 October 2011, PANORAMA began a completely new career on the:
Rafina – Marmari
route.
She operated together with EVIA STAR under the commercial cooperation known as Marmari Ferries.
For more than a decade PANORAMA became a familiar sight in:
Rafina
Marmari
and the Petalioi Gulf.
The short route between eastern Attica and southern Evia was very different from the long Trinidad–Tobago crossing for which the ship had originally been designed.
Sale in 2024
A major change occurred in June 2024.
PANORAMA and EVIA STAR were acquired by interests connected with Olympian Ferries.
After approximately thirteen years on the Rafina–Marmari route, PANORAMA moved to a new operating area.
Northern Sporades
During the 2024 summer season, PANORAMA operated from:
Agios Konstantinos
toward:
Skiathos
and
Skopelos.
In 2025, the service was extended to include:
Mantoudi
providing another link between mainland Greece, Evia and the Northern Sporades.
The move demonstrated the flexibility of a ferry that was already approaching forty years of age.
A New Career from Piraeus
At the end of the 2025 Sporades season, PANORAMA underwent another important change.
On 6 November 2025, the vessel entered service on the:
Piraeus – Aegina
route.
This brought the veteran ferry directly into the regular passenger traffic of Greece's largest port.
For a ship that had spent most of her Greek career based at Rafina, the move represented a significant new chapter.
Piraeus – Aegina in 2026
PANORAMA remains in regular service between:
Piraeus and Aegina
during 2026.
AIS records show the ship completing several round trips between the two ports during a single day.
The crossing generally takes around one hour, depending on operational and weather conditions.
Recent tracking in September 2026 continues to show PANORAMA repeatedly alternating between Piraeus and Aegina.
Almost Forty Years of Service
Built in 1987, PANORAMA is now one of the more senior conventional ferries operating regularly from Piraeus.
Her career can effectively be divided into four major chapters:
1988–2010: Trinidad and Tobago
2011–2024: Rafina – Marmari
2024–2025: Northern Sporades
2025 onward: Piraeus – Aegina
Few ferries have operated regular passenger services in such geographically different environments while retaining the same original name throughout their careers.
PiraeuShips Record
PANORAMA was recorded at Piraeus by PiraeuShips during the newest chapter of a career extending back to the Caribbean in the 1980s. Built at Leer in West Germany in 1987 for the government of Trinidad and Tobago, the ferry spent more than two decades operating between Port of Spain and Scarborough before being sold to Greek interests in 2010. From 2011 she became closely associated with the Rafina–Marmari route, before moving to the Northern Sporades following a 2024 ownership change. Since late 2025 PANORAMA has operated regularly between Piraeus and Aegina. Still active in 2026 at almost forty years of age, she represents one of the most unusual international career histories among ferries currently serving the Saronic Gulf.
Original video footage © PiraeuShips. All rights reserved.
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