History
The ship was built in Turkey as the MV Chekov and originally used by Russian operators to carry timber.
Sealift Incorporated bought the ship specifically for the Ascension Island liner service. The first American crew embarked November 25, 1998 and the ship started its maiden voyage under the U.S.-flag on December 2, 1998. Departing from Port Canaveral, Florida, the voyage took took 15 days at an average speed of 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) and covered 4,426 nautical miles. The voyage ended when the ship dropped anchor in Clarence Bay, Ascension on December 17, 1998. The original contract was for a period of three years.
On December 7, 1999 the Ascension rendered assistance to the French sailboat Seneca. The sailboat was en route to Guadeloupe from France had been becalmed for three days. In addition to providing 300 liters of fuel, the Ascension topped off the sailboat's water tank and provided cigarettes and soft drinks.
Read more about this topic: MV Ascension
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