A rare Kometa type hydrofoil built in Georgia was spotted in Malta during Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23 rd November, 2023 on the interesting Japanese built ship GALA.
The general cargo ship GALA was built in Japan by Kyokuyo Zosen K.K. at Chofu with Hull No 455 as the Swiss Container Lines Vessel SCL BERN in 2005 of which we saw her in Malta twice – 2006 and 2010. In 2017 she was sold and renamed ANGELO MARIA and December 2018 she was sold again and renamed with her current name.
Image here is as SCL BERN entering Valletta, Malta back to January,2010.
GALA is 139.9 metres long (loa) with 21.50 metres beam and 8.40 metres draught. Homeported at Monrovia (LBR Flag) she has 18 crew members including Captain. She can carry also containers (TEU) and has 17,010 cubic metres (cbm) capacity.
She has 1 Diesel Engine – MAN-B&W/Hitachi’ 8 Cylinder ( 8S42MC ) with 11,160 BHP and maximum speed of 17 knots and 1 propeller.
Her interesting deck cargo was the 1983 built Kometa 55 Type Hydrofoil ILIDA II homeported at Corfu, Greece.
She was built by Ordzhonikidze Works at Poti, Georgia with yard number S-725 as ASKLIPIOS trading for 17 years until April 2000 where she was sold to Laumzis Flying Dolphins, Greece and renamed PETROS L trading for 10 years until April 2010 where she was sold to Joy Cruises, Corfu and renamed as ILIDA II.
Her keel was laid on 25th March, 1982 and completed on 27th January 1983 with length overall (loa) as 35.19 metres and 11 metres as beam and 1.40 metres draught. GRT is 141 ts while her callsign is SX2772.
At the time of writing she’s laid up in Indonesia after her class society – Russian Maritime Class (RS) has been suspended since July 2023 with an overdue survey.
