The ship 'Moby Dada', better known as 'Piolin' since it served as accommodation for police and civil guards sent to Catalonia as reinforcements in October 2017, has been converted into a ferry between Spain, France and Algeria and these days remains immobilized in one of the docks in the port of Alicante for security reasons.
The ship has been docked at dock 15, in the Poniente area, since April 15, waiting to solve the maritime security problem to resume the activity of transporting people and vehicles from Alicante to the Algerian port of Oran.
With the Alicante-based Romeu y Compañía as consignee, the line operated by Algerie Ferries links the French coast with Alicante and Oran several times a week, and the Piolín has been managed by the Algerian company since February 2024.
It has been painted in the colors of the Algerie Ferries company (white and blue), so it no longer has the recognizable mythical yellow bird from Looney Tunes for which 'Moby Dada' was popularly renamed Tweety during the 57 days. which, as part of 'operation Copernicus', housed hundreds of agents from the State Security Forces and Corps transferred to Barcelona for the 1-O referendum.
After leaving Barcelona on November 16, 2017, the Piolín headed to the Port of Piombino, in Italian Tuscany, and spent a season there until it was refitted to be used as a mixed ferry, that is, to carry both passengers and cargo on day trips, so it usually accommodates passengers for a night or two in its cabins.
It began operating on the Naples-Cagliari route before the Civitavecchia-Cagliari line and the Genoa-Bastia line until, in February 2024, Algerie Ferries chartered it to cover the Oran-Alicante line.
Built in 1981 at the Finnish Wärtsilä Turku shipyard on behalf of Effoa, it weighs 25,905 gross tons, measures 166.1 meters in length and has a beam of 28.46 meters for a capacity of 1,760 passengers, of which 1,650 in cabins, and a garage for 305 cars.
