Iconic former Royal Mail ship up for sale after conversion to mobile racing hub

The iconic former UK Royal Mail ship St Helena is back up for sale following its conversion into a mobile racing hub.

UK shipbroker Eggar Forrester director Paul Willcox told TradeWinds his firm is exclusively handling a deal for the 3,100-dwt passenger and cargo vessel (built 1990).

The broker is leading a transaction for the ship six years after handling its sale when it was still operating for the Royal Mail.

Willcox said the St Helena has since had an “interesting reinvention” after being bought by London-based electric SUV racing company Extreme E.

The vessel was sold in 2018 to MNG Maritime and entered service as a floating armoury in the Gulf of Oman under the name MNG Tahiti.

Later that year, Extreme E took over ownership and refitted it. The ship carries all equipment, including cars, to race locations.

The 215-passenger vessel consumes 24 tonnes of fuel per day, according to Eggar Forrester’s specifications.

It has 63 guest cabins, plus 29 more for crew and a pilot.

The vessel is currently in the UK and will shortly be deployed in the Middle East Gulf, after which delivery can be arranged, the broker said.

The St Helena previously worked under a UK government contract, supplying the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena.

It became redundant when an airport was built.

Eggar Forrester says the ship represents a “unique opportunity”.

It is described as a “floating hotel, hospitality and cargo centrepiece” for Extreme E’s worldwide racing series.

Extreme E was formed as an offshoot of Formula 1’s Formula E.