The end of the summer season has brought the usual clear-out of unwanted Greek ferries.

Piraeus Port Authority is also looking to sell an elderly ropax that has been laid up in the port since the collapse of NEL Lines in 2013.

According to an announcement on the port authority's website, it will auction the 15,000-gt European Express (built 1974) on 6 November via a sealed bid.

No announcements have been made about the future of several other former NEL Lines ferries that have been laid up in and around Piraeus.

The European Express has been a troublesome resident at the port, having broken from its moorings twice and drifted into other vessels. The auction requires the successful bidder to remove the ship.

Meanwhile, other Greek ferry operators have been pruning their fleets of unwanted vessels, with some heading for new careers outside the Mediterranean.

Last week saw the arrival of Adriatic Lines’ 16,500-gt ropax ferry Bridge (built 1976) in the Red Sea. The ship has been sold to what is described by Greek ferry industry sources as Egyptian interests who intend to use it in Red Sea trades between Safaga in Egypt and Duba in Saudi Arabia. The Bridge was renamed Duba Bridge before it departed for Egyptian waters.

The vessel was built in Australia as a freight ferry and converted into a passenger ferry when it was sold to Greece in 1997. It operated for the past few years under charter to European Sealines.

Adriatic Lines could not be reached for comment. The company appears to have no other ships.

The Bridge is one of only two ropaxes bought by an Egyptian company in almost a decade. The country’s ferry sector ground to a near halt in 2006 following the loss of El Salam Maritime Transport's 11,700-gt ferry Al Salam Boccaccio 98 (built 1970), which claimed more than 1,000 lives. El Salam, the country’s then largest ferry operator, closed down shortly after with its remaining ships sold for scrap.

A trio of small Greek-owned ferries that have been bought by Mexican ferry operator Ultramar are heading to the Caribbean.

Two of the ships, the 980-gt Ultracarga I (ex-Navarchas Apostolis II, built 2007) and 950-gt Ultracarga II (ex-Vasiliki K, built 2016), are being prepared in Piraeus for their delivery voyage.

They will be joined by the 500-gt newbuilding Ultracarga III, which is in the final stages of outfitting at a yard in Salamina.

According to Greek shipyard sources, Ultramar has acquired the ship as a resale. Its original owner is listed in shipping databases as being Orion II Shipping.

The Mexican company, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, operates a fleet of high-speed, passenger-only catamarans. The new additions from Greece will cater to demand for freight and vehicle capacity, and serve as a backup for the catamarans.