MS Silja Festival

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MS Silja Festival
Route: Turku—Mariehamn/Långnäs—Stockholm
Builder: Wärtsilä, Helsinki, Finland
Owners: 1986-1991: Effoa
1991-1992: EffJohn
1992-present: Silja Line
Entered service: 1986 as Wellamo
1992 as Silja Festival
Homeport: Stockholm, Sweden
Tonnage: 33818 gross register tons (GRT) (as built)
34414 GRT (currently)
Length: 168,00 meters
Width: 27,60 meters
Depth: 6,50 meters
Propulsion: 4 × Wärtsilä-SEMT-Pielstick 12PC 2-6V diesels
combined 26200 kW
Speed: 22 knots
Passenger capacity: 2000 (as built)
1886 (currently)
Passenger beds: 1625 (as built)
1858 (currently)
Cabins: 588
Car capacity: 400 (as built)
300 (currently)
Trailers: 60
Ice class: 1 A Super
Sister ships: MS Color Festival
Status: In service

MS Silja Festival is a cruiseferry owned by Tallink Silja AB, the Swedish subsidiary of AS Tallink Grupp and operated under their Silja Line brand on a route connecting Turku, Finland to Stockholm, Sweden via Mariehamn/Långnäs. She was built in 1986 by Wärtsilä Helsinki, Finland, for Effoa as MS Wellamo for use on Silja Line traffic on the same route she sails today, and rebuilt 1992 at Lloyds Werft, Bremerhaven, Germany.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Wellamo

Following the delivery of the highly successful MS Finlandia and MS Silvia Regina for Silja Line's Helsinki—Stockholm service, Johnson Line and Effoa decided to order a pair of ships based on a similar design for the Turku—Stockholm service.[1] The first of the new ships, named MS Svea, was delivered to Johnson Line in May 1985.[2] The ship built for Effoa was given the name MS Wellamo (after the goddess of the sea in Finnish mythology, a traditional name in Effoa fleet) and delivered in January 1986. Following delivery she was placed on the Stockholm—Mariehamn—Turku route.[3][4]

The Wellamo suffered her first major mishap in July of the same year when she suffered a blackout and was grounded near Mariahamn. Following the grounding she was repaired at Luonnonmaan Telakka, Naantali, Finland.[3][4] In 1989 plans were made for converting the ship to a combined car/passenger/train ferry, but these were abandoned.[3] In the summer of 1990 the Wellamo briefly served on the Helsinki—Stockholm route,[3][4] due to the fact that the new Silja Serenade was not yet complete, but old MS Finlandia had to be delivered to her new owners DFDS.[5] During the same year Effoa and Johnson Line merged to form EffJohn, who now became the sole owners of Silja Line.[5]

In the early 1990s EffJohn planned a large-scale reconstruction of GTS MS Finnjet. However the company could not gather enough funds to realise this project. Instead the money was used to rebuild the Svea and Wellamo.[6] In 1992, Wellamo was docked and rebuild at Lloyds Werft, Bremerhaven, Germany. Most notable exterior changes were a new skybar in front of the funnel and a new, more blue-dominated livery. Following the reconstruction the Wellamo was renamed MS Silja Festival (her sister having become MS Silja Karneval).[3][4] Around the same time her homeport was changed from Helsinki to Mariehamn.[3]

[edit] Silja Festival

Initially the Silja Festival continued on the same route as before, alongside her sister, but following the acquisition of MS Silja Europa and the subsequent fleet re-organisation there was no longer a need for the ship on the Turku route. As a result was placed on the Vaasa—Umeå route from March 20 to May 23 1993. When Silja Line began collaboration with Euroway in June 1993, Silja Festival was moved to their Malmö—Travemünde—Lübeck -route, sailing parallel to MS Frans Suell. From there on the service was maketed as Silja Line Euroway. A few months later the route was extended to Copenhagen.[3][4]

After the Euroway service was terminated in April 1994, Silja Festival was moved back to the Kvarken to operate from Vaasa to Umeå and Sundsvall.[3][4] Around this time Silja Line made an agreement to sell Silja Festival or her sistership Silja Karneval to Norwegian ferry operator Color Line. Although Silja Karneval was the ship finally sold to Color, the new owners had presumed they'd be getting Festival and had made promotional posters for their new ship accordingly. As a result the Silja Karneval was confusingly renamed MS Color Festival.

In September 2, 1994, Silja Festival was moved from Vaasa to serve the Helsinki—Tallinn route. For the summer of 1995, (June 26 to August 14) she served Vaasa—Sundsvall again, then returned to Helsinki—Tallinn. After the charter agreement of MS Silja Scandinavia ended in April 1997[7] On April 5, 1997, Silja Line switched the ship's flag from Finnish to Swedish and put her back on Stockholm—Mariehamn—Turku service, where she remains to this day.[3][4]

In April 2007 Silja Line's new owners Tallink reported that in summer 2008 Silja Festival will be replaced by MS Galaxy on the Turku—Mariehamn—Stockholm service.[8] Subsequently Silja Festival will be moved to Stockholm—Riga service.[9]

[edit] Decks

  1. Engine room, cinema
  2. Engine room, Tourist II-class cabins, sauna, swimming pool and hot tubs
  3. Car deck
    1. Car platform, can be lowered hydraulically to divide the car deck in two giving space for two layers of passenger cars
  4. Seaside, Tourist I and Tourist I S-class cabins, Lobby shop, Siljaland children's playroom, information desk, boarding, crew accommodations
  5. Silja, Seaside, Tourist I and Tourist I S-class cabins, crew accommodations
  6. Suites, Silja, Seaside, Tourist I and Tourist I S-class cabins, crew accommodations
  7. Dancing Palace night club (level 1), Captain's Grill restaurant, Trattoria restaurant, Café Martim, Sailor's Pub, Buffet Veranda
  8. Dancing Palace night club (level 2), casino, conference rooms, tax-free shop, perfumerie
  9. Panorama bar, crew accommodations, sundeck
  10. Crew accommodations
  11. Bridge[10]

[edit] References

  1. ^ (Finnish) Valkeat Laivat: Valkeat kaunottaret saapuvat, retrieved 19. 9. 2007
  2. ^ (Swedish) MS Svea (1985) at Fakta om Fartyg, retrieved 19. 9. 2007
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i (Swedish) MS Wellamo (1986) at Facta om Fartyg, retrieved 19. 9. 2007
  4. ^ a b c d e f g (Finnish) MS Wellamo (II) at Valkeat Laivat, retrieved 19. 9. 2007
  5. ^ a b (Finnish) Valkeat Laivat: Loistoristeilijöiden ja tappiovuosien aikakausi, retrieved 19. 9. 2007
  6. ^ FinnjetWeb: Finnjet Chronicle by Salomon Kaukiainen, retrieved 19. 9. 2007
  7. ^ (Finnish) MS Frans Suell at Valkeat Laivat, retrieved 20. 9. 2007
  8. ^ (Finnish) Turun Sanomat 7. 6. 2007: Galaxy Turun reitille Siljan laivana, retrieved 20. 9. 2007
  9. ^ Turun Sanomat 16. 10. 2007: Enn Pant uskoo Galaxyn nostavan matkustajien määrää Turun-reitillä
  10. ^ Silja Festival 2003 deck plans at Valkeat Laivat, retrieved 20. 9. 2007

[edit] External links