Mariella, 27 July 2010

Mariella

IMO 8320573
Built 1985, Wärtsilä Turku, Finland
Tonnage 37 860 GT
Length 175,70 m
Width 28,40 m
Draft 6,78 m
Ice class 1A Super
2 500 passengers
2 500 berths
400 cars
4 Wärtsilä diesels, combined 23 008 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 22 knots

Mariella was originally delivered to SF Line, one of the (then-)three partners in the Viking Line marketing consortium. Up until the delivery of the Mariella, Viking Line's route between Helsinki and Stockholm had been solely trafficked by ships belonging to Rederi Ab Sally, but a new agreement between the Viking Line partners allowed SF Line and the third partner Rederi AB Slite to break this monopoly. The Mariella has been extremely successful on the Helsinki-Stockholm route, having stayed on the route since 1985 (apart from occasional short transfers to cover on other routes). This makes her (to date) the most durable ship on the route.

Mariella photographed in the Kustaanmiekka strait, photos taken from the north-eastern shore of Kustaanmiekka itself on 27 July 2010.