AL Kahfain

Ulster Queen at The Red Sea Wreck Project — Ulster Queen

The AL Kahfain began life as the 4,479 GRT Roll On/Roll Off PAX-ferry Ulster Queen built at Cammel Laird Shipbuilders Ltd., Birkenhead, UK (Yard No. 1323) for the Belfast Steamship Co (Coast Lines). She was launched on 01 December 1966 and completed in June the following year with a length of 115 meters, beam of 16.5 meters, and draught of 4.13 meters. Propulsion was provided by twin 12-cylinder Ielstick turbocharged diesel engines with a combined output of 11,590 HP to two controllable pitch propellers for a speed of 17.5 knots.

The ship was designed to carry up to 1,008 passengers and had 509 berths(beds). She could also carry up to 140 automobiles as well.

The Ulster Queen served on the Liverpool-Belfast route under the Coast Lines service until 1971, when the service was then marketed as the P & O Ferry service. (Note: The registered owners of the ship didn’t change to P & O until 1978.) The Liverpool-Belfast service ended in 1981 and the ship was laid up in Oostende until 1982 when she was sold to Pangloss Bav. co. Ltd., renamed Ulster Queen (Med Sea), and served on the Cyprus-Syria service until 1985. At that time she was laid up in Piraeus until she was chartered to the Red Sea service and renamed Al Kahera.

Renamed Ala-Eddin in 1987 and then sold to the Hellenic Mediterranean Lines, renamed Poseidonia and served on the Igoumenitsa-Brinisi service until being laid up at Keratsini in 2003.

Poseidonia at The Red Sea Wreck Project — Poseidonia

The Poseidonia was placed back in service in 2004 on the Italy-Greece service route until 2005 when she was transferred to the Red Sea service and renamed AL Kahfain and used to carry pilgrims making the Hajj to Mecca from Egypt to Saudi Arabia.

The AL Kahfain’s final voyage came on 01 November 2005 (One source states 22 November as the date of sinking) as the ship was departing Hurghada enroute to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The ship was not carrying any Jeddah-bound passengers so there were only crew onboard. The ship had just cleared Shedwan Island when an explosion in the engine room started a fire which spread rapidly up to the superstructure. The order to abandon ship was given and the crew were rescued by passing vessels. One life reported lost, with 58 survivors.

An attempt to take the ship in tow and return to port was attempted but the ship capsized while in tow and drifted to the south where she sank at Sha’ab Sheer in approximately 25 meters of water, coming to rest on the bottom on her starboard side.

Diving Information

The ship is lying almost completely upside down and the hull is split along the waterline. The are penetration points all along the wreck site but, as the wreck is slowly collapsing, one can hear metal creaking and grinding in many places. The smokestack is wedged into the seabed beneath the ship and there are also many smaller pieces and parts of the ship lying around on the bottom. The stern gate has separated from the rest of the wreck and this area should be considered unstable, as the ship is subject to the swells that come through the area. The site is subject to the sea and weather conditions and can only be dived in good weather.