M/V Marcella III, Taylor Corp. vessel, now in Bolivia as the M/V Michelda, traded to Freeport from 1985-2007

by Eric Wiberg

Capt. Eddins Taylor (right) and the German owner/skipper of M/V Jade in Hamburg, Germany 1981 at the purchase of the ship and re-flagging to Bahamas.

M/V Marcella, ex-M/V Jade but with the same green color scheme, at Prince George’s Dock, Nassau.

Both photos compliments of Capt. Eddins Taylor, Nassau Bahamas and www.mailboatbahamas.com

MAILBOAT NAME: M/V Marcella III
PAST NAMES: M/V Marcella I (1985-2007), M/V Marcella III (2007-2009), M/V Miss Eva I (2009-?), M/V Michelda (?-present). Original name from 1959 not known
DIMENSIONS: 364 gross tons, 480 DWT or cargo tons, Call sign CPA 806, IMO # 5167566, 8.5 knots, 9.2′ deep,
CONSTRUCTION: steel
YEAR BUILT: keel laid Nov 30, 1958, delivered June 2, 1959
BUILDERS: Neue Jadewerft, Wilhelmshaven, Germany (then West Germany)
EARLY CAREER: not known, presumably traded coastwise in Europe 1959-1985)
BAHAMAS CAREER: used to leave Wednesdays at 4 PM for Freeport, Grand Bahama – was last registered to the port of Freeport.
CAPTAINS: Capt. Limas Taylor

FATE: first sold to Haiti by the Taylors, then sold to Bolivia and still trading some 55 years after its launch
NOTES:

M/V Michelda, which used to be the Bahamas mailboats M/V Marcella I, M/V Marcella III, and Miss Eva I. Shown in c.2010 in Bolivia.

Photo source: copyright Emilio Largo, MarineTraffic.com, http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=720657000