MS Birka Paradise
Encyclopedia
MS Birka Paradise is a cruise ship
owned by Birka Line
, operated under their Birka Cruises brand. She was built in 2004 by Aker Finnyards at Rauma, Finland
.
from Aker Finnyards at Rauma, Finland
on 20 November 2002. She was the first new ship ordered by Birka Line since , ordered in the late 1980s but never delivered due to bankruptcy of the shipyard.
The interior and exterior of the Birka Paradise were jointly designed by Birka Line, Aker Finnyards and Deltamarin. Unlike most of Birka's previous vessels, the ship was designed from the beginning as a genuine cruise ship, without a car-deck. Following a naming competition which drew 3500 proposals, the ship was named Birka Paradise to reflect her Caribbean
cruise ship -like design. The ship was designed with various environmentally friendly innovations; in addition to exhaust and closed sewage treatment systems already used on the company's , the Birka Paradise was built to fulfill Det Norske Veritas
' Clean Design rule relating to environmentally friendly structural solutions. Her hull form was optimised for smallest possible impact on the sensitive archipelago routes she sails on.
The keel of the Birka Paradise was laid on 20 October 2003 and she was launched on 16 April 2004. Following her sea trials, completed on 19 August 2004 and 14 October 2004, the ship was delivered to Birka Line on 8 November 2004. The then sailed via her port of registry Mariehamn
to Stockholm
, where she was officially named on 10 November 2004 by Arja Saijonmaa
.
to Mariehamn
, which has been her main route in Birka service. During Christmas 2004 she made a longer cruise from Stockkholm, calling at Tallinn
, Helsinki
and Mariehamn. From 2006 onwards she has made various longer cruises from Stockholm around the Baltic Sea
during the northern hemisphere
summer season.
In January 2009 Rederi Ab Eckerö, the owners of Birka Cruises, made public their plans to re-register Birka Paradise to Sweden "as soon as possible" in order to allow the sale of snuff
onboard. According to European Union legislation snuff may not be sold within the EU except in Sweden and onboard ships registered in Sweden. Until November 2007 the province of Åland in Finland allowed the sale of snuff onboard ships registered in the province, but was forced to discontinue the practice when threatened by legal action by the EU. The outlawing of snuff sales caused the loss of approximately 1 million € per year for Birka Cruises, finally resulting in the decision to re-flag the Birka Paradise. The reflagging took place on 3 June 2009.
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
owned by Birka Line
Birka Line
Birka Line is an Ålandian shipping company that operates a cruise ship on the Baltic Sea with Stockholm as the starting point under the name Birka Cruises. Birka Line has a cargo-shipping subsidiary, Birka Cargo. During the 1970s the company was often marketed as Ålandslinjen...
, operated under their Birka Cruises brand. She was built in 2004 by Aker Finnyards at Rauma, Finland
Rauma, Finland
Rauma is a town and municipality of ca. inhabitants on the west coast of Finland, north of Turku, and south of Pori. Granted town privileges on May 17, 1442 , Rauma is known of its high quality lace , and of the old wooden architecture of its centre , which is a Unesco world heritage...
.
Concept and construction
Birka Paradise was ordered by Birka LineBirka Line
Birka Line is an Ålandian shipping company that operates a cruise ship on the Baltic Sea with Stockholm as the starting point under the name Birka Cruises. Birka Line has a cargo-shipping subsidiary, Birka Cargo. During the 1970s the company was often marketed as Ålandslinjen...
from Aker Finnyards at Rauma, Finland
Rauma, Finland
Rauma is a town and municipality of ca. inhabitants on the west coast of Finland, north of Turku, and south of Pori. Granted town privileges on May 17, 1442 , Rauma is known of its high quality lace , and of the old wooden architecture of its centre , which is a Unesco world heritage...
on 20 November 2002. She was the first new ship ordered by Birka Line since , ordered in the late 1980s but never delivered due to bankruptcy of the shipyard.
The interior and exterior of the Birka Paradise were jointly designed by Birka Line, Aker Finnyards and Deltamarin. Unlike most of Birka's previous vessels, the ship was designed from the beginning as a genuine cruise ship, without a car-deck. Following a naming competition which drew 3500 proposals, the ship was named Birka Paradise to reflect her Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
cruise ship -like design. The ship was designed with various environmentally friendly innovations; in addition to exhaust and closed sewage treatment systems already used on the company's , the Birka Paradise was built to fulfill Det Norske Veritas
Det Norske Veritas
Stiftelsen Det Norske Veritas is a classification society organized as a foundation, with the objective of "Safeguarding life, property, and the environment". The organization's history goes back to 1864, when the foundation was established in Norway to inspect and evaluate the technical condition...
' Clean Design rule relating to environmentally friendly structural solutions. Her hull form was optimised for smallest possible impact on the sensitive archipelago routes she sails on.
The keel of the Birka Paradise was laid on 20 October 2003 and she was launched on 16 April 2004. Following her sea trials, completed on 19 August 2004 and 14 October 2004, the ship was delivered to Birka Line on 8 November 2004. The then sailed via her port of registry Mariehamn
Mariehamn
Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city...
to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, where she was officially named on 10 November 2004 by Arja Saijonmaa
Arja Saijonmaa
Arja Enni Helena Saijonmaa is a Finnish singer, political activist and occasional actress.She studied at the Sibelius Academy and earned a Bachelor of Arts at the Helsinki University. She made her breakthrough as a singer in Sweden...
.
Service history
The Birka Paradise entered service on 11 November 2004 on a 22-hour cruise from StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
to Mariehamn
Mariehamn
Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city...
, which has been her main route in Birka service. During Christmas 2004 she made a longer cruise from Stockkholm, calling at Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
and Mariehamn. From 2006 onwards she has made various longer cruises from Stockholm around the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
during the northern hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
summer season.
In January 2009 Rederi Ab Eckerö, the owners of Birka Cruises, made public their plans to re-register Birka Paradise to Sweden "as soon as possible" in order to allow the sale of snuff
Snuff
Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century...
onboard. According to European Union legislation snuff may not be sold within the EU except in Sweden and onboard ships registered in Sweden. Until November 2007 the province of Åland in Finland allowed the sale of snuff onboard ships registered in the province, but was forced to discontinue the practice when threatened by legal action by the EU. The outlawing of snuff sales caused the loss of approximately 1 million € per year for Birka Cruises, finally resulting in the decision to re-flag the Birka Paradise. The reflagging took place on 3 June 2009.
Decks and facilities
- Engine roomEngine roomOn a ship, the engine room, or ER, commonly refers to the machinery spaces of a vessel. To increase the safety and damage survivability of a vessel, the machinery necessary for operations may be segregated into various spaces, the engine room is one of these spaces, and is generally the largest...
and other technical facilities - Outside and inside cabinsCabin (ship)A cabin or berthing is an enclosed space generally on a ship or an aircraft. A cabin which protrudes above the level of a ship's deck may be referred to as a "deckhouse."-Sailing ships:...
, engine room and other technical facilities - Crew facilities
- Outside and inside cabins, technical facilities
- Reception, caféCaféA café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
, tax-free shop, night club, casinoCasinoIn modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
, sundeck, technical facilities - BarsBar (establishment)A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, cigar club, buffetBuffetA buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners generally serve themselves. Buffets are offered at various places including hotels and many social events...
and a la carteÀ la carteÀ la carte is a French language loan phrase meaning "according to the menu", and used in* A reference to a menu of items priced and ordered separately, i.e. the usual operation of restaurants * To order an item from the menu on its own, e.g...
restaurants, conference rooms, helicopter landing platform - Outside and inside cabins
- Outside and inside cabins
- BridgeBridge (ship)The bridge of a ship is the room or platform from which the ship can be commanded. When a ship is underway the bridge is manned by an OOW aided usually by an AB acting as lookout...
, outside and inside cabins - Panorama bar, saunaSaunaA sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
s, swimming poolSwimming poolA swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, sundeck - Jogging track