Express Jet in Santorini
History
Name	1999–2016: Betico 2016–2023: Sifnos Jet 2023–present: Express Jet
Owner	1999–2016: Compagnie Maritime Des Îles 2016–present: Seajets
Operator	1999–2009: Compagnie Maritime Des Îles 2016–present: Seajets
Port of registry	1999–2016: Mata Utu, Wallis and Futuna 2016–present: Limassol, Cyprus
Route	Piraeus / Heraklion – Cyclades / Sporades Former: Nouméa – Loyalty Islands
Ordered	1998
Builder	Austal Fremantle, Western Australia
Yard number	079
Laid down	1998
Launched	1999
Completed	9 August 1999
Acquired	October 2016 (by Seajets)
Maiden voyage	August 1999
In service	1999
Identification	IMO number: 9204324 Call sign: 5BLV4 MMSI number: 210205000
Status	in service
General characteristics
Class & type	Austal 52m High-Speed Passenger Catamaran
Tonnage	906 GT 120 DWT
Length	52.40 m (171 ft 11 in) (overall)
Beam	13.00 m (42 ft 8 in)
Draught	3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
Decks	2
Ramps	Side passenger loading doors
Installed power	4 × MTU main diesel engines
Propulsion	4 × KaMeWa waterjets
Speed	34.0 knots (63.0 km/h; 39.1 mph) (service) / 38.0 knots (70.4 km/h; 43.7 mph) (max)
Capacity	500 passengers Passenger-only (0 vehicle capacity)
Crew	15–20

Express Jet is a catamaran belonging to the Greek shipping company Seajets. Originally built as Betico for Compagnie Maritime Des Îles, it was laid up until 2016 when it was brought in Greece for Seajets.

The catamaran, built at the Austal specialist shipyard in Fremantle under the name Betico, was delivered on 9 July 1999 to the New Caledonian company Compagnie Maritime Des Îles^[1], which put it on the routes between Nouméa, Île des Pins, Maré, Lifou and Ouvéa. Over the years, Betico continued to operate regularly on the route, until 2009, when, replaced by the new Betico 2 , it was laid up in Nouméa and put up for sale pending buyers. On 3 October 2016, after seven years of lay-up, the catamaran was purchased by the Greek company Seajets^[2], by which it was renamed Sifnos Jet and transferred to Eleusis, where it underwent the necessary restructuring work after the long period of inactivity, which was then completed in the shipyards of Chalkida and Perama. In 2019, after completion of the works, it then began service on the connections between Piraeus, Serifos,Sifnos, Milos, Kimolos, Folegandros, Therasia, Santorini and Ios .^[3]

In 2021, the catamaran was used on the routes between Heraklion, Rethymno,Santorini and Naxos, being then moved the following year to the routes between Paros and Mykonos, to which calls at Rafina, Tinos and Naxos were added the following year .

In April 2023, it was then renamed Express Jet and reintroduced on the routes between Santorini, Ios, Paros and Naxos, to then return in 2024 to those between Santorini, Rethymno and Heraklion, limited to the ports of Santorini and Heraklion in 2025.

In 2026, it was finally transferred to the routes between Piraeus, Serifos, Sifnos, Milos,Folegandros, Santorini, Naxos, Paros and Mykonos. Since June 8, 2026, Express Jet was put in the Heraklio - Thira and back route,sailing two times per week.

• Official Seajets: High-Speed Fleet .
• MarineTraffic: EXPRESS JET
• VesselFinder: EXPRESS JET Particulars
• Fakta om Fartyg: HSC Betico (1999)