SAN PORFYRIOS was a small general cargo vessel built in 1990, which spent several years under Greek ownership and management before being sold to Faroese interests and renamed HAV SAGA in 2018.
Originally known as SAVA LAKE, the vessel became SAN PORFYRIOS in late 2014 and was operated during her Greek-controlled period by interests connected with New Kronos Star Maritime Company of Piraeus. In 2018 she was acquired by Navigare Shipping Sp/f, renamed HAV SAGA, transferred to the Faroe Islands flag and extensively employed in northern European short-sea trades.
More than 36 years after construction, the vessel remains commercially active in 2026.
The ship was constructed by Sava Shipyard at Mačvanska Mitrovica, in what was then Yugoslavia and is now Serbia. She measures 74.65 metres in length and 12.70 metres in beam, with a gross tonnage of 2,030 GT. Current owner specifications quote approximately 3,072 tonnes DWAT, while ship databases generally record a summer deadweight of around 3,146 tonnes.
Vessel Details
Current Name: HAV SAGA
Former Names: SAN PORFYRIOS, SAVA LAKE
IMO: 8719073
MMSI: 231108000
Call Sign: OZ2186
Type: General Cargo Vessel
Flag: Faroe Islands
Home Port: Runavík
Built: 1990
Builder: Sava Shipyard, Mačvanska Mitrovica, former Yugoslavia / present-day Serbia
Current Owner / Manager: Navigare Shipping Sp/f
Current Operator: Navigare Logistics AS
Class: Bureau Veritas
Length Overall: 74.65 m
Beam: 12.70 m
Maximum Laden Draught: approx. 6.10 m
Gross Tonnage: 2,030 GT
Net Tonnage: 911 NT
Deadweight: approx. 3,072–3,146 t depending on source / loading definition
Deadweight Cargo Capacity: approx. 2,800 t
Cargo Hold Capacity: approx. 3,717 m³ / 131,300 cu ft
Cargo Hold Dimensions: approx. 47 × 10.2 × 8.2 m
Hatch Dimensions: approx. 47 × 10.2 m
Hatch Covers: MacGregor hydraulic folding
Main Engine: Bergen Diesel
Main Engine Power: approx. 2,000 bhp / 1,470 kW
Service Speed: approx. 10.5 knots
Bow Thruster: Ulstein, approx. 300 bhp
Cargo Handling: Komatsu PC490 excavator
Discharge Capacity: approx. 350 t/hour
Cargo Hold: Fully boxed, grain-fitted
Tank Top Strength: approx. 12 t/m²
Current Status: Active.
From SAVA LAKE to SAN PORFYRIOS
The vessel spent the first decades of her career as SAVA LAKE.
Historical records show her under several flags during that period, including the Bahamas, Latvia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Panama.
By late 2014, the vessel had been renamed SAN PORFYRIOS. During this period she was connected with the Piraeus-based New Kronos Star Maritime Company, while Marine Consult Kronos S.A. was recorded as registered owner.
The identity history is therefore:
SAVA LAKE → SAN PORFYRIOS → HAV SAGA
New Kronos Star continues to list SAN PORFYRIOS in its historical fleet, identifying her as a 1990-built general cargo vessel of approximately 3,146 tonnes deadweight.
Greek Ownership and the Piraeus Connection
SAN PORFYRIOS had a particularly strong connection with Piraeus during her Greek-controlled period.
The vessel's management was associated with New Kronos Star Maritime Company, while contemporary records gave the address of her registered-owner interests at 5 Akti Miaouli, Piraeus.
She was also physically present in the Piraeus area. A documented photograph shows SAN PORFYRIOS at Perama on 28 April 2015, confirming her presence within the wider Piraeus ship-repair and commercial-port complex during this period.
When recorded by PiraeuShips in 2017, SAN PORFYRIOS was sailing under the Belize flag, carrying MMSI 312614000, and was classed by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. The original PiraeuShips entry recorded her as a 2,030 GT / approximately 3,050 DWT general cargo vessel.
The 2017 Ukrainian Detention
One of the more unusual episodes in the vessel's history occurred in August 2017.
According to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, SAN PORFYRIOS was stopped in Ukrainian waters of the Danube while sailing from Romania toward Greece.
Ukrainian authorities stated that the same vessel, while previously sailing as SAVA LAKE under the Panama flag, had called several times at Crimean ports during 2014–2015, after Ukraine had declared those ports closed following Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Because an IMO number remains attached to the ship throughout changes of name and flag, authorities were able to identify SAN PORFYRIOS as the former SAVA LAKE. Contemporary reports stated that the captain and most of the crew had subsequently changed; one crew member who had participated in earlier calls was reportedly barred from entering Ukraine for three years.
Sold and Renamed HAV SAGA
The vessel's Mediterranean and Greek-controlled chapter ended in 2018.
Records place Navigare Shipping of the Faroe Islands as owner from 31 August 2018, and the vessel was subsequently renamed HAV SAGA and registered under the Faroese flag.
Her new identity brought:
Name: HAV SAGA
Flag: Faroe Islands
Home Port: Runavík
MMSI: 231108000
Call Sign: OZ2186
Owner / Manager: Navigare Shipping Sp/f
Operator: Navigare Logistics AS
Class: Bureau Veritas.
The transition was therefore approximately:
SAVA LAKE → SAN PORFYRIOS (2014) → HAV SAGA (2018)
A Different Working Life in Northern Europe
As HAV SAGA, the vessel has developed a very different trading pattern from that associated with her SAN PORFYRIOS years.
The ship is now employed primarily in northern European and Scandinavian short-sea cargo trades, regularly appearing around Norway, the Faroe Islands, Germany, the Netherlands, Iceland and other North Atlantic ports.
Her present cargo arrangement includes a fully boxed hold, movable bulkheads and a Komatsu PC490 excavator, allowing the ship to operate as a versatile self-handling bulk/general cargo vessel with a quoted discharge capacity of around 350 tonnes per hour.
Recent photographs have documented HAV SAGA at locations including Liepāja in 2021, Eemshaven in 2022, Norway and Emden in 2024, showing the vessel continuing a busy commercial career decades after construction.
Still Active in 2026
Despite being built in 1990, HAV SAGA remains operational in 2026.
Recent AIS information from September 2026 continues to show the vessel trading in northern waters, including voyages between the Netherlands, Faroe Islands, Iceland and Norway.
In mid-September 2026 she sailed from Husøya, Norway toward Myre, while current vessel databases continue to list her as an active Faroese-flagged general cargo vessel.
At more than 36 years of age, the former SAN PORFYRIOS therefore remains an active working ship rather than a vessel approaching immediate retirement.
PiraeuShips Record
SAN PORFYRIOS was recorded by PiraeuShips in 2017 during the vessel's Greek-controlled period. Built in 1990 as SAVA LAKE, the small general cargo vessel became SAN PORFYRIOS in 2014 and was associated with the Piraeus-based New Kronos Star Maritime Company. In 2018 she was sold to Faroese interests, renamed HAV SAGA and transferred to Navigare Shipping. Still commercially active in 2026, more than three decades after construction, the former SAN PORFYRIOS now trades extensively in northern European and North Atlantic waters, giving the PiraeuShips footage an interesting record of an earlier and very different chapter of her career.
Original video footage © PiraeuShips. All rights reserved.