GTS Finnjet

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GTS Finnjet docked in Louisiana

GTS Finnjet is a cruiseferry built in 1977. As of June 2006, it belonged to Sea Containers Ltd. At the time of its delivery Finnjet was the fastest and biggest car ferry in the world, and the only one powered by gas turbines. This allowed the ship to travel at an operating speed of 30.5 knots.

1 Overview
2 Service History
3 Decks
4 Specifications
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Overview

Finnjet was built at the Wärtsilä shipyard (now Aker Finnyards) (Build-No. 407) in Helsinki, Finland and delivered to Enso-Gutzeit to serve in their subsidiary Finnlines. The ship was put on route between Helsinki in Finland and Travemünde in Germany, taking only 22 hours for a one way trip. In 1982, 75% of Finnjet's shares were sold to Effoa (one of the owners of Silja Line), and Finnjet Line was established as a joint venture of Finnlines and Effoa to operate the Finnjet. In 1986 Finnlines sold their remaining shares to Effoa. The ship was painted in Silja Line's colors and incorporate in Silja's fleet in 1987. Her service in Silja Line's fleet ended in 2005 and she is currently laid up.

In addition to being the largest and fastest ship of her time, Finnjet is also widely considered to have been the first genuine cruiseferry. Her cabins were very much ahead of their time for a ferry, it was not until over a decade later when other ferries would match the size and fittings of Finnjet's cabins. Her restaurants and other services were also superior to other ferries of her time. Finnjet's influence can be clearly seen on the first genuine cruiseferries built for Finland - Sweden traffic in 1980-81, ships such as M/S Viking Song, M/S Viking Sally and M/S Finlandia.

Partially due to being such a ground-breaking ship, Finnjet was also extremely prestigious, which helps explain why she remained in traffic on the Baltic Sea for such a long time even though she was often unprofitable. Famous Finnish painter Kimmo Kaivanto provided paintings and drawings to decorate the ship, and he even designed a Finnjet medallion to commemorate the ship's commission. In 1977 a 7" single, Finnjet Waltz, was also recorded in honour of the ship, and she was the first ship ever to have a Lego model of her for sale onboard. As late as the early 90's Silja Line still considered Finnjet to be one of their greatest ships, and in their brochures she appeared right after the brand-new Helsinki - Stockholm ferries, ahead of many ships that were both newer and larger than Finnjet herself was. Even today, three years after she stopped sailing from Finland, the Finnjet is still the best-known indivial ship in the country. She also has a very good reputation in Germany still, and recently (August 2006) Silja Line's new owners Tallink went on record considering adapting the name Finnjet for their Finland - Germany ferries (to the dismay of ferry enthustiasts in Finland and Germany).

[edit] Service History

Due to her high fuel consumption, Finnjet was not a very profitable ship and after only a few years of service there were rumours that she would be sold. To increase her profitability, the ship was converted to a combined diesel-electric and gas propulsion with the addition of diesel-electric generators in 1981 in Amsterdamse Droogdok Maatschappij, Amsterdam. The change allowed to operate the ship on slower speeds with cheaper fuel during the winter months. On the way to the shipyard she became the largest ship to have passed through the Kiel Canal at that time. Starting from November 1985, Finnjet made 24-hour (later 22-hour) backtracking cruises from Helsinki during the winter season. The final batch of these cruises in October-December 1995 included a short stop in Tallinn. In 1986 another major renovation was carried out at Wärtsilä Helsinki, with new Commodere-class cabins added in place of the old sundeck.

After the ship had become a part of the Silja Line fleet, further renovations at HDW, Kiel in 1987, 1988 and 1989 saw almost all of the ship's public spaces rebuilt. In 1991 an extremely large-scale reconstruction was planned, where the ship would have been lenghtened by 20 meters, cabins enlarged, a new outdoor swimming pool added, and much the superstructure built to a sleeker appearance. Unfortunately the plan proved to be too costly and was abandoned; the funds that had been raised for this reconstruction went to the rebuilding of M/S Svea and M/S Wellamo into Silja Karneval and Silja Festival.

Starting from 1992 Finnjet was used to monitor surface-layer chlorophyll, temperature and salinity in waters she sailed through for research by the Finnish Institute of Marine Research. A new transmission system installed in 1994 (again at HDW Kiel) raised the top speed to 33 knots and allowed for a mixed operation of turbines and diesel engines. September of the same year M/S Estonia, Finnjet's former fleetmate, sank during a heavy storm on the North Baltic. Finnjet was amongst the ferries used to search for survivors on the disaster area but she had to leave soon when the gargo on her cardeck started moving in the heavy seas, creating another potentially dangerous situation. In 1997 Finnjet ship was docked at Götaverken Cityvarvet, Gothenburg and rebuilt with a larger tax-free shop in preparation for her new itenaries where she served on the Helsinki-Travemünde route only during the summer months, the rest of the year she sailed on the Helsinki-Tallinn route. Originally the port in Tallinn was Muuga, but when the ship-way of Tallinn's old harbour was reconstructed in 1998, Finnjet moved there from the start of January 1999.

GTS Finnjet approaching Helsinki in spring 2004

In 1999 the summer-route was altered to Helsinki-Tallinn-Rostock. In autumn of the same year the Finnish Institute of Marine Research installed new equipment for monitoring water quality and algae. In mid-May 2002, only a few days after Finnjet's 25th anniversary cruise, Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported the ship was for sale. At the time the information was thought to be false but later reports indicate the Finland-based Eckerö Line did consider buying her around that time. In April 2004 Finnjet called in Helsinki for the last time, after which she left for another refit at Aker Finnyards, Rauma in preparation for her new St. Petersburg–Tallinn–Rostock -route. During the refit her interiors were entirely rebuilt, new rudders were installed and bridge wings covered. The new route was believed to be profitable all year round, but this proved not to be the case. After the first summer season Finnjet was laid up for the winter 2004-2005, and the route was eventually terminated after the 2005 summer season, and the ship was put up for sale.

During the winter of 2005—2006, Finnjet was chartered to the faculty of medicine of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans to provide housing to students, faculty, and staff displaced by Hurricane Katrina. It was docked on the west bank of the Mississippi River across from Baton Rouge, at the base of the Horace Wilkinson Bridge.

On June 6, 2006, at the end of her charter Finnjet left Baton Rouge for Freeport, Bahamas. At the same time her ownership passed from Silja Line to their (then-)parent company Sea Containers. The ship has had all Silja Line markings painted over and has been reflagged from Finnish to Bahamian registry. Seemingly there are no plans to have the ship again in the Baltic Sea. There have been rumours suggesting she is to be sold to a Florida-based company as a casino-ship. A news report in September 2006 suggested she would have been sold to Italy-based Moby Lines, but this proved to be false.

As of October 20, 2006, the ship is reported to remain in Freeport. During the autumn of 2006 it was reported that several bids have been made from the United States, Finland and Scandinavia. On 26 November a SeaContainers representative reported that a deal was expected to be closed "within the next few weeks", with a sale price in excess of 20 million dollars.

[edit] Decks

Public spaces have been named as they were when the ship was last in active service for Silja Line in 2005. On the Finnjet only decks to which passengers have access are numbered, the main engine room is below deck 1.

Silja Spa, swimming pool
Crew cabins, cardeck
Crew cabins, driver's club, cardeck
Seaside- and Tourist I-S-class cabins, information desk, Buffét Silja, galley, crew mess, crew dayroom, boarding
Seaside- and Tourist I-S-class cabins, cinema, Chef's Dining, El Capitán and Maxim á la Carte -restaurants, sea shop, perfume shop
Seaside- and Tourist I-S-class cabins, Siljaland children's playroom, hairdresser, Navigator's Pub, Seaside Café, Ocean Club nightclub, boarding
"Air seats", crew accommodations, sundeck
Bridge, crew accommodations, officer's mess, hospital
Commodore-class cabins, Stardust Bar, crew's sundeck
Stardust cabinet

[edit] Specifications

Built: 1977 at Wärtsilä Helsinki New Shipyard
Rebuilt: 1981, 1986, 1994, 1997, 2004
Length: 212,8 meters (originally), 214,96 meters (currently)
Width: 25,4 meters
Draught: 6,89 meters
Maximum speed: 31 knots (turbines only), 18 knots (diesels only), 32,5 knots (turbines and diesels)
Passengers: 1532 (originally), 1781 (currently)
Berths: 1532 (originally), 1631 (currently)
Cabins: 533 (currently)
Passenger cars: 385 (originally), 325 (currently, with modern cars being larger than 1977 cars)
Lanemeters: 715
Tonnage: 24 605 BRT (originally), 32 975 GT (currently)
Ice classification: 1 A Super