The vessel was ordered by Panalpina, Basel and was built as the MERLIN III (Yard Nr 25) in Gelibolu (Gallipoli), Turkey, to replace the old MS MERLIN. Gelibolu is a small town of 23’000 inhabitants on the European side of the Straits of the Dardanelles. The builder was the Gelibolu Shipyard S.A., a small, but expanding family shipyard, mainly building small container ships and tankers.
The first steel was cut on 01.11.2003 and the sections of the hull were built in the construction workshop, giving protection from the harsh weather conditions during the winter months. In April 2004 the first two sections were transferred to the slipway and assembly of the hull began. The ship was launched on 24.07.2004 and delivered on 31.08.2004 to her owners Arabella Shipping Ltd., Kingstown, St. Vincent.
The ship is a deck cargo vessel / landing craft and all dry cargo is carried on deck. A bow ramp allows to roll-on and to roll-off trucks and other vehicles, either in port or onto beaches. Below the main deck, tank space is provided for fresh water and gas oil to supply drilling rigs and ships in the offshore oil fields.
The technical management of the ship, including the supervision during construction was allocated by the owners to ABCmaritime, Nyon. The crew of 9 men are all from the Philippines.
After the delivery voyage with a short call at Gibraltar, the vessel was engaged in Panalpina's coastal trading in West Africa, mainly between Nigeria and Angola, carrying cargo for the oil industry.
HPS-SwissShips, September 2011