MV Moby Corse

MV Santa Cruz
History
Name	1978–2002: Dana Anglia 2002–2006: Duke of Scandinavia 2006–2009: Pont L'Abbé 2009—2024: Moby Corse 2024-Present: Santa Cruz
Owner	1978–2007: DFDS Seaways 2007–2009: Brittany Ferries 2009—present: Moby Lines
Operator	1978–1987: DFDS Seaways 1987: Sealink British Ferries 1987–2006: DFDS Seaways 2006–2009: Brittany Ferries 2009—present: Moby Lines
Port of registry	1978–2002: Esbjerg, Denmark 2002–2006: Copenhagen, Denmark 2006–2009: Morlaix, France 2009—present: Livorno, Italy
Ordered	25 May 1975
Builder	Aalborg Værft, Ålborg, Denmark
Yard number	210
Laid down	21 May 1976
Launched	21 June 1977
Christened	4 May 1978
Acquired	28 April 1978
In service	13 May 1978
Identification	IMO number: 7615414
Status	In Service
General characteristics (as built)
Tonnage	14,399 GRT 3,440 tonnes deadweight (DWT)
Length	152.91 m (501 ft 8 in)
Beam	24.19 m (79 ft 4 in)
Draught	7.51 m (24 ft 8 in)
Installed power	2 × Lindholmen-Pielstick 18 PC2-5 diesels 15445 kW
Speed	21 kn (39 km/h)
Capacity	1370 passengers 1249 passenger berths 470 cars 810 lanemeters
General characteristics (after 1993 & 2000 refits)
Tonnage	18,321 GT
Length	152.91 m (501 ft 8 in)
Beam	26.26 m (86 ft 2 in)
Draught	6.10 m (20 ft 0 in)
Speed	19.5 kn (36.1 km/h) (service speed)
Capacity	1120 passengers 400 cars
Crew	120

Moby Corse is a ferry owned and operated by Moby Lines. She was built at Aalborg Værft A/S in Denmark for DFDS Seaways as MV Dana Anglia and entered service with them in 1978. She sailed between Esbjerg, Denmark and Harwich, United Kingdom between 1978 and 2002 before being renamed MV Duke of Scandinavia for service between Copenhagen, Denmark and Gdańsk, Poland. She returned to the North Sea in 2003 to sail between Newcastle and IJmuiden.

In 2006 she was chartered by Brittany Ferries to replace the MV Val de Loire, renamed MV Pont L'Abbé. It was announced on 19 December 2007 that the vessel was sold to Brittany Ferries. Her final sailing between Plymouth and Roscoff was on 9 November 2008, after which she was laid up in Saint-Nazaire. In October 2009, the ship was sold to Moby Lines. She was renamed Moby Corse and started the new service from Toulon to Bastia on April 1, 2010. On the 1st of October it was reported she had been sold to Ferry Med SRL and is to be renamed Santa Cruz.

Regular routes

• Plymouth-Roscoff April 2006 – November 2008
• Portsmouth-Cherbourg March 2006

Other routes served

Under Brittany Ferries, Pont L'Abbé has only sailed in passenger service on the Plymouth-Roscoff and Portsmouth-Cherbourg routes. She also sailed between Plymouth and St Malo in December 2006.

Media appearances

While registered as Dana Anglia the vessel appeared in several BBC TV Series. In 1981, A ship named Dana Anglia appeared in the BBC TV movie Artemis 81. In 1982-3 she was the setting for the second and third series of the soap opera Triangle. The ship in the first series was Tor Scandinavia.

It featured in the 1989 Christmas episode, 'Sailing' of the comedy series Birds of a Feather.

In July 2005 in Series 6, Episode 6 of the BBC TV show "Top Gear", the vessel appeared in the background of a shot taken in Newcastle during the Race to Oslo challenge.