Ro/ro cargo ferry “Bison” leaving Fleetwood, September 1976
registered owner: Hain-Nourse Ltd.
Manager: Belfast Steamship Co. Ltd.
Flag: British
Port of registry: London
Builder: J. J. Sietas Schiffswerft, Hamburg (Hull-755)
Gross tons: 3,453
Deadweight: 5,808
Length overall: 125.0 m
Breadth: 19.05 m
Max. draft: 3.785 m
Engines: 2 x 12-cylinder type12M540 diesels, total 12,000 b.h.p., by Klöckner-Humbodlt-Deutz, Köln
Service speed: 19.5 knots
Capacity: 130 x 30' trucks
Completed January 1975 for Peninsular and Oriental S.N. Co., London (manager P&O Short Sea Shipping, operator Pandoro Ltd.)
Nominal ownership transferred to Hain-Nourse October 1975
Lengthened March 1981 by Tyne Shiprepairers Ltd., Birkenhead; now 4,377 gross tons, 4,170 deadweight; reclassified as passenger ship
Ownership & management transferred December 1984 to POETS Fleet Management Ltd.
Ownership transferred December 1990 to Pandoro Ltd.
Lengthened October 1991 to 141.1 m
Widened to 21.0 m 1994 by Coastline Industries Ltd.; new gross tonnage 14,387. deadweight 4,385
New upper deck installed July 1995 by Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
Transferred to Bermuda flag March 1997
Operators renamed P&O Trans European July 1997
Managers renamed P&O Ship Management (Irish Sea) Ltd. September 1997
Operation transferred to P&O European Ferries (Irish Sea) October 1997
Renamed “European Pioneer” December 1997
Sold April 2004 to Stena Ropax Ltd, (manager Stena Line Ltd.), renamed “Stena Pioneer”
Sold May 2011 to Anship LLC, renamed “Ant 1” (Moldovan flag; operators AnRussTrans)
Sold 2014 for demolition in Turkey