Karolin in Helsinki, 14 May 2013

Kships finally returns from it's travelling hiatus (slightly later than originally planned). We resume scheduled programming with Linda Line's Karolin.

Karolin

IMO 9124433
Name history: Caraibe Jet, Polarstern, Karolin
Built 2000, International Shipyards Henderson, Australia
Tonnage 636 GT
Length 45,40 m
Width 12,32 m
Draught 2,02 m
354 passengers
4 MTU diesels, combined 7 840 kW
4 KaMeWa waterjets
Service speed 37 knots

For a short history of the Karolin, see the previous entry on her. The photographs below show the Karolin arriving in Helsinki South Harbour on the afternoon of 14 May 2013, photographed from Kaivopuisto. Click on the images to see them in larger size.

Neoclassical buildings of Suomenlinna in the background. If I have understood correctly, those particular buildings are still in use by the Finnish navy.

I can't help it, the Karolin really reminds me of a seagoing version of a VW beetle. Faster, certainly.

I like that fact how the red stripes on the side lines up when viewed from the side but is more dynamic in other views.

Old and new.

Next time: Brilliance of the Seas.

Karolin in Helsinki, 6 May 2011

It's been a while since a new ship was featured in this blog. Even with the summer cruise calls, there are only a finite amount of ship that call in Helsinki (and even with my occasional travels, the vast majority of photos featured here are from Hki). There is however a ship that calls regularly in Helsinki's South Harbour that I have not - for some reason - never feaured before: Linda Line's Karolin.

Karolin

IMO 9124433
Name history: Caraibe Jet, Polarstern, Karolin
Built 2000, International Shipyards Henderson, Australia
Tonnage 636 GT
Length 45,40 m
Width 12,32 m
Draught 2,02 m
354 passengers
4 MTU diesels, combined 7 840 kW
4 KaMeWa waterjets
Service speed 37 knots

The Karolin was originally ordered by Oceanfast Ferries under the name Caraibe Jet from the International Shipyards in Henderson, Western Australia. However, soon after the ship's sea trials in November 1995, Oceanfast went bankrupt. The unfinished Caraibe Jet was left at the shipyard, awaiting her fate. It was only five years later, in October 2000, that the Caraibe Jet was completed. Later during the same month she was sold to the German operator AG Ems. However, the ship required rebuilding to meet AG Ems' needs, and it was not until March 2001 that the ship was delivered to her owners. In the interim she had been renamed Polarstern.

In April 2001 the Polarstern entered service along Germany's North Sea coast on the route Papenburg-Ditzum-Emden-Emshaven-Borkum. At times the service was extended from Borkum to Helgoland. In September 2008 the Polarstern was sold to the Estonian fast ferry operator Linda Line. According to Fakta om Fartyg, the sale took place soon after the ship had suffered some damage during a particularly stormy crossing from Helgoland, but I do not know if this had any effect on the sale. Those interested in the history of Linda Line, there is a concise account in this entry about the Merilin.

The Polarstern was renamed Karolin in November 2008 (continuing Linda Line's tradition of using Estonian female names for their ships), but she did not enter service until after the winter lay-up period in April 2009. Since then the Karolin has continued in service between Helsinki and Tallinn alongside the Merilin - naturally with winter layups for the times when fast ferries cannot operate due to the sea ice.

The photographs below show the Karolin arriving in Helsinki South Harbour on the afternoon on 6 May 2011 via the southernly Särkkä shipping lane that is too shallow and narrow for most ships to use today. Click on the images to see them in larger size.

The Karolin is actually quite a neat little thing. Though at a quick glance she resembles the Merilin, the pair are actually quite different.

As with the Merilin, Linda Line didn't change the livery of the Karolin from what she carried with her previous owners. Fortunately, the Karolin looks much better than the all-red Merilin.

Passing in front of Klippan (or Luoto, if you want to use the rarely-used Finnish name), with St. Peter Line's Princess Anastasia outbound in the background.

South Harbour calling.

Merilin in Helsinki, 3 October 2012

Merilin

IMO 9194256
Name history: Cat No 1, Merilin
Built 1999, Austal Shipyard Henderson, Australia
Tonnage 920 GT
Length 52,60 m
Width 13,30 m
Draught 1,50 m
411 passengers
4 MTU diesels, combined 9 280 kW
4 KaMeWa waterjets
Speed 40 knots

The Merilin doesn't get featured in this blog very often, mostly due to the fact that Linda Line's timetables and sailing routes make their ships difficult to photograph, unless you actually position yourself to specifically photograph these ships. I guess I ought to really do that some day to the Merilin's running mate Karolin, seeing as she hasn't ever been featured in this blog. For a history of the Merilin and Linda Line, see the first entry on her.

The photographs below show the Merilin arriving in Helsinki South Harbour in the evening of 3 October 2012, photographed from onboard the ferry Suomenlinna II. Click on the images to see them in larger size.

Sunset and sailboats, part 1.

Sunset and sailboats part 2: the rocky islets.

The Harakka island in the background. Harakka, incidentally, in addition to being the name of the Island, is also Finnish for a magpie.

Entering the South Harbour on the southernly route. Valkosaari on the foreground and the Kaivopuisto in the background. Also a little bit of the passenger tubes of the Olympia terminal used by Silja Line.

Next time: Seven Seas Voyager

Merilin in Helsinki, 24 September 2011

Before we start I would to remind all my Finnish readers that today is the day of our presidential elections and I would urge everyone to use their right to vote. As long as you don't vote for Timo Soini.

And now on to normal programming.

Merilin

IMO 9194256
Former name: Cat No 1
Built 1999, Austal Shipyard Henderson, Australia
Tonnage 920 GT
Length 52,60 m
Width 13,30 m
Draught 1,50 m
411 passengers
4 MTU diesels, combined 9 280 kW
4 KaMeWa waterjets
Speed 40 knots

For a short history of the Merilin and her operator Linda Line, see the first entry on this vessel. Fast craft don't get much coverage in this blog and usually if I post images of them it's during the wintertime. The reason is that I find them somewhat boring and during the summertime, when there are loads of new and interesting images to post about cruise ships, it's easy to just skip the duller fast craft. So if you're into fast ferries, the winter is the season for you, at least as far as this blog is concerned.

The photographs below show the Merilin departing Helsinki South Harbour on 24 September 2011. Click on the images to see them in larger size.

Unfortunately this southerly shipping lane is too shallow and narrow for most ships sailing from the South Harbour, otherwise it would offer rather fantastic photo opportunities. And also did back in the 90's when ships sailing to Tallinn were old and small and the passenger terminal in the West Harbour was still to be built. Of course, I was too young to realise my good fortune at the time.

Suomenlinna in the background on the right, for once my photos feature it from a different direction.

Merilin, 25 August 2007

Merilin

IMO 9194256
Built 1999, Austal Shipyard Henderson, Australia
Tonnage 920 GT
Length 52,60 m
Width 13,30 m
Draught 1,50 m
411 passengers
4 MTU diesels, combined 9 280 kW
4 KaMeWa waterjets
Speed 40 knots

The Merilin and her operator Linda Line are probably not that well known, so perhaps it's prudent to cover the history of the company as well as the ship here.

Linda Line was established in 1997 when Inreko and ESCO (Estonian Shipping Company), the owners of Tallink, decided to part ways. Inreko withdrew the three Ukrainian-built hydrofoils Liisa, Laura and Jaanika from Tallink services and they begun sailing between Helsinki and Tallinn under the newly-established brand Linda Line (if I remember correctly, Linda Line was at least initially owned by Inreko. However, I could find no affirmation of this so take it with a pinch of salt). In 1998 Linda Line sold the Liisa and continued sailing with just two hydrofoils until 2002, when they took delivery of a new Russian-built fast catamaran Linda Express, capable of an impressive 55 knots. The Linda Express was however plagued with technical problems and in 2004 she was sold to a Chinese operator under the name Shi Ji Kuai Hang. For the next two years Linda Line continued operating with just the Laura and Jaanika, until the chance came to acquire the fast German-owned catamaran Cat No 1.

The Cat No 1 had been built in 1999 by Austal for Schiffahrtsgesellschaft AGRNF 'Supercat' & Co. (marketed more simply as Cat No 1) for services from Cuxhaven and Eemshaven to various islands on Germany's North Sea coast. In December 2006 the Cat No 1 was sold to Linda Line and in spring 2007 she entered service on the Helsinki-Tallinn route as the Merilin, replacing the Laura. In 2009 the Merilin was joined by the similar but slightly smaller katamaran Karolin and the Jaanika too was sold. Since then Linda Line has become the sole survising fast ferry operator between Helsinki and Tallinn, the other companies with their slower ships having fallen to the increased competition by the fast conventional ferries of Tallink and Viking Line.

The photographs below show the Merilin in Helsinki's Eteläsatama (South Harbour) early in the morning of 25 August 2007, on the day's first departure to Tallinn. Photographed from onboard either the SuperSeaCat Three or SuperSeaCat Four. Click on the individual images to view larger size.

Reversing away from the quay, with Helsinki's Market Square and the Helsinki Cathedral in the background.

The red-dominant colour scheme is largely the same as the ship carried as the Cat No 1; the black stripes along the windows were originally blue, as was the white crescent-like shape on the side. As Linda Line traditionally carried a red-white colour scheme, not larger changes were deemed nescessary.

A nimble turn and soon the ship was off to Tallinn, trailed by ships of SuperSeaCat and Nordic Jet Line. With her 40 knot speed, the Merilin unsurprisingly got there before the others.