MS Wasa Queen
Encyclopedia
MS Arberia is a cruiseferry
Cruiseferry
A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship with a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while others use the ships as means of...
owned by Chryses Finance Co. and operated by Ilion Lines on their Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
–Durres
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
–Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
-service. She was built in 1975 by Dubegion-Normandie S.A., Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for Steamship Company Bore, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
as MS Bore Star for Steamship Company Bore who used her in Silja Line
Silja Line
Silja Line is a Finnish cruiseferry brand operated by the Estonian ferry company AS Tallink Grupp, for car and passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden. The former company Silja Oy – today Tallink Silja Oy – is a subsidiary of Tallink Grupp, handling marketing and sales for Tallink and Silja...
services on 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 winter months she was chartered to Finnlines
Finnlines
Finnlines Plc is a Finnish shipping company that operates freight throughout Northern Europe as well as passenger services in the Baltic Sea. In the past, Finnlines has operated ships under the brands Finncarriers, Finnflow Systems, Finnjet Lines, and FG Shipping Oy Ab...
for cruise services on African west coast. In 1980 she was sold to Finland Steamship Company and renamed MS Silja Star but retained in Silja Line service. Between 1986 and 1992 she was used in different cruise and ferry services around the world for various operators under the names MS Orient Express, MS Club Sea, MS Eurosun and MS Orient Sun. In 1992 her ownership passed to Wasa Line
Wasa Line
Wasa Line was a Finnish shipping company, established in 1948 and ceased trading when merged into Silja Line in 1993...
and she was renamed MS Wasa Queen for Baltic Sea ferry service. In 1993 Wasa Line was merged into Silja Line and Wasa Queen returned to the Silja Line fleet. In 2001 she was sold to Star Cruises
Star Cruises
Star Cruises , a member of Genting Hong Kong, is the sixth largest cruise line in the world behind companies such as Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises...
for use in Far Eastern ferry service and later casino cruising with their daughter company Cruise Ferries without a change in name. In 2008 Wasa Queen was withdrawn from service, and in 2009 sold to her current owners.
1975-1986
In 1972 the Finnish-SwedishSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
ferry consortium Silja Line
Silja Line
Silja Line is a Finnish cruiseferry brand operated by the Estonian ferry company AS Tallink Grupp, for car and passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden. The former company Silja Oy – today Tallink Silja Oy – is a subsidiary of Tallink Grupp, handling marketing and sales for Tallink and Silja...
started around-the-year car/passenger ferry traffic between 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 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...
, the capitals of Finland and Sweden respectively. The route proved highly profitable and after just one year of traffic Silja Line's owners (Finland Steamship Company, Rederi AB Svea
Rederi AB Svea
Stockholms Rederi AB Svea was a Swedish shipping company founded in the 1870s...
and Steamship Company Bore) decided that each company would order a ship of identical design from the same shipyard that had build the 1972 ships.
MS Bore Star was the last of the new ships to be delivered, in December 1975. However it turned out that there weren't actually enough passengers for three ships in year-round traffic on the Helsinki—Stockholm service. As a result Bore Star was chartered to Finnlines
Finnlines
Finnlines Plc is a Finnish shipping company that operates freight throughout Northern Europe as well as passenger services in the Baltic Sea. In the past, Finnlines has operated ships under the brands Finncarriers, Finnflow Systems, Finnjet Lines, and FG Shipping Oy Ab...
immediately after delivery. Until May 1976 she cruised around the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and West Coast of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
under the trade name Finnpartner (her official name remained unchanged). In June 1976 Bore Star was finally set on the traffic she was built for, and sailed as a third ship on the Helsinki—Stockholm service alongside her sisters MS Svea Corona
MS Svea Corona
MS Svea Corona was a car-passenger ferry built in 1975 by Dubegion-Normandie S.A., Nantes, France for Rederi AB Svea, Sweden for Silja Line traffic. She was later rebuilt as a cruiseship and known under names MS Sundancer and MS Pegasus...
and MS Wellamo
MS Jupiter
The Jupiter is a cruiseferry owned and operated by Vietnamese Jupiter Cruises. The vessel operates cruises between Sihanoukville and the island of Phú Quốc.-History:...
until the end of October 1976 (she also briefly served on the Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
—Stockholm route in May and September). Between October 1976 and May 1977 Bore Star was again chartered to Finnlines for cruising in the Atlantic.
From June 1977 onwards Bore Star served on the Helsinki—Stockholm route. In the beginning of the year 1979 Steamship Company Bore changed its name to Bore Line. At this time passenger numbers on 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...
were raising rapidly and Finland SS Co (which had changed its name to Effoa
Effoa
Finland Steamship Company was a Finnish shipping company founded in 1883 by Captain Lars Krogius. In Finnish and Swedish The company was usually referred to simply as FÅA. In 1976, the company changed its name to Effoa, a phonetic spelling of the abbreviation FÅA.The company was a founding member...
in 1976) and Svea were planning to build new ships for the Helsinki—Stockholm service. Bore wanted to concentrate on freight traffic and as a result the company sold its share of Silja Line to the other owners in July 1980, and Bore Star
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...
—Stockholm service. In September of the same year the ship was renamed MS Silja Star. In January 1986 she was replaced by the new MS Wellamo and sold to Sea Containers.
1986-1992
After being sold to Sea Containers the Silja Star was rebuilt at Lloyd WerftLloyd Werft
Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven GmbH is a dockyard in Bremerhaven, established in 1857 by Norddeutscher Lloyd. The yard employs 500 workers in an area of 260. 000 m². Ships with a draught down to 11,5 m can be accommodated.-External links:* website...
, Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In April 1986 she re-emerged as MS Orient Express and started sailing on a route connecting Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Pireus and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. Between December 1986 and April 1987 the ship was chartered to Club Sea Inc who used for cruising on the 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...
as M/S Club Sea. After the charter she returned to her previous name and route until 1989 when she was chartered to Europe Cruise Line (who were in part owned by her old owners Effoa) as MS Eurosun for cruising on the Mediterranean. In December of the same year Europe Cruise Line bought the ship, but in May 1990 she was chartered back to Sea Containers, again renamed Orient Express and set on the Venice—Istanbul service. From November onwards she returned to Europe Cruise Line and under the name Eurosun.
In September 1991 the ship was sold to Orient Line (owned by EffJohn, the company resulting from a merger between Effoa and Johnson Line
Johnson Line
Johnson Line was a Sweden-based shipping line founded in 1904 as a subsidiary of Rederi AB Nordstjernan. In 1982 Johnson Line absorbed Rederi AB Svea, another Rederi AB Nordstjernan -owned company, hence becoming a member of the Finnish-Swedish Silja Line consortium...
), renamed MS Orient Sun and started ferry service between Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Like her previous routes this would prove to be short-lived. In March 1992 the ship ceased trading in the Far East and returned to the Baltic Sea.
1992–2009
Between April and May 1992 the Orient Sun was rebuilt at Kotkan Telakka Oy, KotkaKotka
Kotka is a town and municipality of Finland. Its former name is Rochensalm.Kotka is located on the coast of the Gulf of Finland at the mouth of Kymi River and it is part of the Kymenlaakso region in southern Finland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water....
, Finland, for service on EffJohn's subsidiary Wasa Line
Wasa Line
Wasa Line was a Finnish shipping company, established in 1948 and ceased trading when merged into Silja Line in 1993...
. With the name MS Wasa Queen she started service between Vaasa
Vaasa
Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa...
in Finland and Sundsvall
Sundsvall
-External links:* - Official site from Nordisk Familjebok - Sundsvalls tourist information bureau. - The alternative guide to Sundsvall. - Blog with photos from Sundsvall....
in Sweden on May 15, 1992. In addition to the Vaasa—Sundsvall route she also sailed from Vaasa to Umeå
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
. In 1993 EffJohn reorganised their operations, merging Wasa Line into Silja Line. Wasa Queen was repainted in Silja Line's colours, but this time (somewhat surprisingly) her name wasn't changed, and she was kept on traffic from Vaasa. Many sources claim she was transferred to Silja Line on 31 December 1993, however a photograph showing her being painted in Silja Line colours in Vaasa harbour with MS Wasa King (which left Wasa Line fleet in January 1993) in the background suggests the Wasa Queen received Silja Line livery already in January 1993.
Profits on the lines from Vaasa were on the decline however, and between January and May 1996 Wasa Queen sailed on the fast-growing Helsinki—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...
route. For the summer season of 1996 she returned to Vaasa—Umeå service, but from September 1996 until September 1999 the Wasa Queen served continuously between Helsinki and Tallinn. During this time her timetables varied depending on whether she was the only Silja Line ship on the route or not. Until April 1997 she sailed alongside MS Silja Festival, with only one departure from each port per day. After Silja Festival stopped sailing on the route, Wasa Queen had two daily departures from each port. Starting from October 1997 GTS Finnjet
GTS Finnjet
GTS Finnjet was a cruiseferry, built in 1977 by Wärtsilä Helsinki, Finland for Finnlines traffic between Finland and Germany. At the time of her delivery, Finnjet was the fastest, longest and largest car ferry in the world, and the only one powered by gas turbines...
spent the winter season sailing between Helsinki and Tallinn, and again during this time Wasa Queen had only one daily departure (during the times when Finnjet was on the route she also used Finnjet
In September 1999 Wasa Queen returned to sail from the city she was named after. During the same year tax free sales ended in traffic within the EU, meaning that most profits on the Vaasa—Umeå service disappeared. On December 31, 2000, Silja Line closed down traffic across kvarken
Kvarken
Kvarken is the narrow region in the Gulf of Bothnia separating the Bothnian Bay from the Bothnian Sea...
completely, and Wasa Queen was laid up in Vaasa awaiting potential buyers. In July 2000 she was chartered as a hotel ship to the G8
G8
The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
meeting in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
. At the end of that charter, on July 28, the ship was sold to Star Cruises
Star Cruises
Star Cruises , a member of Genting Hong Kong, is the sixth largest cruise line in the world behind companies such as Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises...
and set sails for Singapore. In September 2000 she sailed for two weeks from Singapore under the banner of Star Cruises' new daughter company Cruise Ferries, after which she started traffic between Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Xiamen
Xiamen
Xiamen , also known as Amoy , is a major city on the southeast coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of and population of 3.53 million...
.
However, the Hong Kong—Xiamen ferry route only operated briefly for a few months, after that she ended up sailing daily day cruises from Hong Kong to nowhere, departing in the morning and returning in the evening, for gambling purpose. In October 2004 she commenced sailing 6 overnight cruises per week in addition to the daily day cruises, bringing her departures to 13 per week. On 9 July 2007 Wasa Queen began making 12-hour casino cruises out of Port Klang
Port Klang
Port Klang is a town and the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. Colonially known as Port Swettenham, it is also the location of the largest and busiest port in the country. As such, its economic progress has been greatly influenced by the port activities in its area...
, Malaysia. She was withdrawn from that service in October 2008 and subsequently laid up at Port Kelang.
2009 onwards
In April 2009 the Wasa Queen was sold to Chryses Finance Co. and renamed Arberia. In July of the same year she entered service on Ilion Lines' service connecting TriesteTrieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
and Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
via Durres
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
.