HSC Condor 10

Condor 10 was ordered by Condor Ltd In 1992 on the purpose of creating a car carrying high speed service between Weymouth and the Channel Islands. Remember that until Condor 10's introduction, Condor was operating passenger-only services with hydrofoils and catamarans. It was planned to order two 74m-long High Speed Craft for the Weymouth – Channel Islands service, however due to the purchase of BCIF by Commodore and the introduction of Havelet by Condor Ltd on this route, the second high speed catamaran has never been ordered.

Entreprise Trading Pte Ltd (the first registered owner of the ship) was delivered of Condor 10 on 11th December 1992. She was then introduced on the Weymouth – Channel Islands service by Condor Ltd on 1st April 1993. Condor 10 has been operated alongside Condor 9 for this first summer.

Condor 10 ended service with Condor Ltd on 28th October 1994, with Havelet operating the winter services. Condor 10 was to be replaced the following season by bigger Condor 11.

On 20th November 1994, Condor 10 began a long crossing from Weymouth to Wellington (NZL) where she arrived on 15th December. Indeed, she was chartered out to Tranz Rail for service on the Wellington – Picton route under the Interislander Line brand for Southern Hemisphere Summer 1994-95. Marketed as The Lynx, she was however still registered as Condor 10. Condor 10 also operated daily sailings on this route during Southern Hemisphere summer 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98.

During Northern Hemisphere Summer 1995, Condor 10 was chartered out to SF-Line, which operated her on Viking Line’s Helsinki – Tallinn service as Viking Express 1. Between March and October 1996, she was chartered out to Stena Line on their Rosslare - Fishguard service. For Northern Hemisphere Summer 1997, she was supposed to resume service with Condor Ferries, which wanted to operate her on a new Weymouth – Channel Islands – Saint-Malo service. However, she was eventually chartered out to Holyman for service between Ramsgate and Dunkirk, and Condor Ferries eventually chartered in Incat 043 for this service.

On 16th March 1998, during a crossing between Wellington and Picton for Interislander Line, Condor 10 hit violently a fierce 3m-heigh wave. This moved for a few centimetres her bow door, damaging severely her frames, and therefore deforming her frames. Crew made temporary repairs, enabling Condor 10 to return to harbour. Condor 10 was then sent to Singapour for repairs. Repaired, she went back to Weymouth for Northern Hemisphere Summer 1998. Condor 10 was supposed to be chartered to Euroferrys but the deal has never been concluded. Therefore, she spent the summer laid up in Weymouth.

Between December 1998 and July 1999, she was chartered once again to Tranz Rail for service between Wllington and Picton, before being laid-up at the end of the charter. Chartered in September 1999 by Transport Tasmania for two weeks, she served on the Merlbourne – Georgetown route before being laid up again in Hobart.

Incat Chartering Pty was later entrusted the ship, in order to find charters for Condor 10. However, Incat proved to be unable chartering out Condor 10, and she remained laid up for two years. It has been however considered selling her to Tylos Ferry for service in the Persian Gulf, however the sale has never been concluded.

In late-2001, Condor Ferries decided to launch the following summer a new car-carrying service between Saint-Malo and the Channel Islands. Condor Ferries decided to operate this service using Condor 10, a sister-ships of the ships its competitor Emeraude Lines was already operating on this route. However, Condor 10 was to be replaced at winters by either Condor Express or Condor Vitesse. Condor 10 was overhauled by Incat in Hobart, before setting sail to Poole in February 2002. She was eventually sold to Condor Ferries in 2004.

The introduction of Condor 10 combined with an aggressive marketing policy have been partly responsible of the decline of Emeraude Lines, which bankrupted in 2005, leaving Condor Ferries a monopoly on the Saint-Malo – Channel Islands service.

During winter 2007-2008, Condor 10 was repainted, and on her hull was painted the Saint-Malo’s, Jersey’s and Guernsey’s flags. The bottom of her hull was also repainted in red, as her funnel.

In June 2010, Condor Ferries replaced Condor 10 with Condor Rapide. Indeed, the weight of the cars she was to carry has dramatically increased, and Condor 10 was therefore unable carrying more than 70 cars, since boarding one more car was meaning carrying 10 passenger less. Moreover, the purchase of Condor Rapide enabled Condor Ferries operating only sister-ships.

Condor 10 was laid-up after her replacement in Weymouth. However, Condor 10 replaced Condor Vitesse in September 2010, after the failure of two of her four engines. Thus, Condor 10 resumed service on the 24th but was faced with her own engine failures on the 26th, forcing Condor Ferries to laid up her back.

In September 2011, Condor 10 was sold to Hanil Express Co, a South Korean company. Condor 10 left Weymouth for South Corea on 20th September. She has been since then operating services to the Jeju-do Island, as Hanil Blue Narae.