The M/V ''Rosa Eugenia'', formerly the ''Coutances'' and ''Outances'' is a freight

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

owned by Conferry and previously operated by

Brittany Ferries Brittany Ferries is the trading name of the French shipping company, BAI Bretagne Angleterre Irlande S.A. founded in 1973 by Alexis Gourvennec, that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between France, England, Ireland, Spain and the ...

. It was built at

Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or vis ...

shipyard in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

for Truckline Ferries and entered service in 1977. In 1985 Truckline was purchased by

and in 1986 they sent ''Coutances'' and her sister ''Purbeck'' to be lengthened which increased their capacity by 34%. In 2004 ''Coutances'' was repainted in

livery. She has sailed for most of her life between

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

and

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

though was briefly replaced by the in the early nineties. In November 2007 Coutances was replaced on most Poole-Cherbourg sailings by the ''

Cotentin The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its west lie the Gu ...

'', a new freight ferry constructed by

Aker Finnyards STX Finland Oy, formerly Aker Yards Oy, was a Finnish shipbuilding company operating three shipyards in Finland, in Turku, Helsinki and Rauma, employing some 2,500 people. It was part of STX Europe, a group of international shipbuilding compani ...

. ''Coutances'' was withdrawn from service on 1 May 2008. In late July 2008 she was sold to Conferry of

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

owners of the former ''Purbeck'', ''Coutances sister ship. ''Coutances'' sailed under the French flag and was registered in

. As the ''Rosa Eugenia'' she is registered in

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the south ...

On the morning of 4 September 2018, the ferry began to sink on the outskirts of the Eulalia Buróz marine terminal, located in the city of Puerto la Cruz, Anzoátegui state.

Regular routes

Puerto la Cruz Puerto La Cruz () is a port city located in Anzoátegui State, in Venezuela. It is the seat of the Juan Antonio Sotillo Municipality. The city has road connections to the state capital, Barcelona, to Lecheria and to Guanta. Geography The cit ...

Isla Margarita Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the north west coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the island. History ...

As the ''Coutances'' with Brittany Ferries and Truckline the ship sailed on the following routes:- *

:Primary route from 1977 until November 2007. Then weekends only from end of November 2007 until end of February 2008. Sundays only from 1 March 2008. ''Coutances'' final sailing on this route was the 16:00 Poole-Cherbourg on 28 April 2008. *

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

:Primary route from end of November 2007. Monday to Thursday only until 30 April 2008. *

:Weekly positioning move from end of November 2007. ''Coutances'' final commercial Brittany Ferries sailing was on this route on 1 May 2008.

Other routes served

As the ''Coutances'' the ship has also served on

(

Ouistreham Ouistreham () is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy region in northwestern France. Ouistreham is a small port with fishing boats, leisure craft and a ferry harbour. It serves as the port of the city of Caen. The town borders t ...

) in the early years of the route where she provided extra freight capacity. She has also seen use on

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

Roscoff Roscoff ( , ; ) is a commune in the Finistère département of Brittany in northwestern France. Roscoff is renowned for its picturesque architecture, labelled (small town of character) since 2009. Roscoff is also a traditional departure point ...

and

- Santander. On 13 December 2007 ''Coutances'' sailed from Portsmouth to the Channel Islands on charter to

Condor Ferries Condor Ferries was an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between the United Kingdom, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey, Bailiwick of Jersey, Jersey and France. History Condor Ferries was formed in 1964 by Channel Island businessme ...

to cover for the damaged ''Commodore Goodwill''.

External links

Brittany Ferries Freight official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosa Eugenia Ferries of the United Kingdom Ferries of France 1977 ships