DANE Sea
Line was founded in 1980 as the popularly-owned shipping company based in
Dodecanese Islands. The first two ships, an excellent finnish pair of sisters,
were bought respectively in 1980 and 1982, being named “Kamiros” and
“Ialyssos”. In 1985 a third ship joined the fleet, the ro-pax, “Lindos”,
connecting Piraeus and Rhodes also to Cyprus. In 1989 and 1991 two more ferries
reached Dane, the fabulous cruise-ferries “Rodos” e “Patmos”, which launched a
new direct connection to Kos and Rhodes (not calling at Patmos, Leros and
Kalymnos) cutting the crossing-time of six hours, plus of a new service
Thessaloniki - Kos - Rhodes, stopping also in Samos. In 1995 the company
purchased another ship together with G.A. Ferries, the “Ionian Sea”, which
joined the fleet in 1997 named “Leros”. Then the company has a very bad period:
strong rumours of a near financial bankruptcy due to bad operations by the
former chairman led the stoke values to the bottom and the company was near to
had a financial collapse; the ships were arrested by the Ministry (as the Ventouris
Sea Lines ferries in 1996), arrest revoked only against “Ialyssos” and “Rodos”
to collect money to pay debts. Moreover the “Leros” had a fire when in Piraeus,
without casualties. The company was near to close when ANEK saved it;
particulary the Crete-based company bought the 45% of stake in the local
Dodecanese operator and chartered the “Candia” in 1999 and the “Preveli” in
2000 to replace the “Leros”. For the 2001 season a new ship is awaited from
Japan: the new “Lindos”.