DAWN MERCHANT
Dawn Merchant in her original Norfolkline guise, operating on the Channel out of Dover, after a spell in the Irish Sea.
MARITIME PHOTOGRAPHIC
Dawn Merchant, launched in 1998, was the second vessel in the Racehorse class and was virtually identical in design to Brave Merchant, being named in recognition of the famous racing thoroughbred Dawn Run. Launched in February 1998 and delivered in September 1998 by Astilleros Españoles to Cenargo International, she was initially chartered to Und RoRo, Istanbul, Turkey and operated between Istanbul and Trieste from October 1998 to January 1999.
In 1999 she was operated by Norse Merchant Ferries, under the management of V Ships (UK) at Douglas, and made her first arrival in Liverpool on 7 January 1999. Thereafter she was deployed on the Merchant Ferries run between Liverpool and Dublin, initially in a freight capacity, but then took passengers from March 1999. In April 2002 she operated under the Norse Merchant Ferries banner. In September 2002 she was moved to Norfolkline’s service between Dover and Dunkirk, operating without being modified for double-deck drive-through operation. In October 2002 the ship collided with the breakwater at Dover in good weather, causing a 15m gash above the waterline. She went to Dunkirk for repairs, and was repainted in Norfolkline livery, but structural modifications were not carried out.