Viking Grace and Amorella in Mariehamn, 8 June 2014

Today's entry is brought to you by my discovering a previously unposted set of shots of the Viking Grace and Amorella in Mariehamn a few years back while working on today's issue of Ulkomatala (which, if you speak Finnish, you should totally check out). Featuring these two ships will also handily give me a chance to write about Viking Line's memorandum of agreement for the Amorella's replacement. But first, few words about this blog.

In the past month or so, inaddition to learning quite a lot about how to care for a newborn baby, I've also discovered how to maximise the number of blog views. Contrary to what I previously thought, the key is not regular updates. The key is making one entry a month about the interiors of the Silja Europa. December 2016's visitor numbers smashed the previous record by more than 50 percent, and while the Silja Europa interior entries have been the newest on the blog, daily visitor numbers have regularly been double or triple the normal numbers. It will be interesting to see what will happen after this entry is posted. Which brings us nicely back to the point.

Viking Grace

IMO 9606900
Built 2013, STX Europe Turku, Finland
Tonnage 57 700 GT
Length 218,60 m
Width 31,80 m
Draught 6,80 m
Ice class 1 A Super
2 800 passengers
2 876 berths
530 lane metres of cars
1 275 lane metres of cargo
4 Wärtsilä dual fuel (LNG/diesel) engines, combined 30 400 kW
2 fixed-pitch propellers
2 bow thrusters
1 stern thruster
Service speed 21,8 knots
Maximum speed 25,6 knots

Amorella

IMO 8601915
Built 1988, Brodogradiliste Split, Yugoslavia
Tonnage 35 384 GT
Length 169,40 m
Width 27,60 m
Draught 6,35 m
2 480 passengers
2 046 berths
350 cars
900 lane metres
4 Wärtsilä-Pielstick diesels, combined 23 760 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 21,5 knots

The Amorella and Viking Grace have both enjoyed fairly uneventful careers, by the virtue of having both sailed (near-)exclusively on the Turku-Stockholm route (the Amorella has also had short stints on the Helsinki-Stockholm line). An end is in sight for the Amorella's time on the service, however, as Viking Line signed a memorandum of agreement to build a new ship for the Turku route - previously reported to be the Amorella's replacement - in November with the Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co. Ltd. in China. If the new ship is realised, she will be the largest on the Northern Baltic, with a projected gross tonnage of circa 63 000; this will be achieved by making the ship circa three metres wider than the Viking Grace, allowing the addition of one more lane of cargo on a ship with the same length.

The newbuilding is slated for delivery in 2020, and according to an interview with Viking's CEO Jan Hanses, on being replaced the Amorella will move to the Helsinki-Tallinn line as a running mate for the Viking XPRS. Also according to Hanses, Viking have been scouting the second-hand market for a suitable Helsinki-Tallinn ship for some time, without success. (This does, however, beg the question if it was smart to sell the Isabella back in 2013, if less than four years later Viking are in dire need of an additional ship).

The to-be-confirmed contract for the Chinese newbuilding also includes the option of a sister ship. If Viking are pleased with the new ship, surely the sensible thing would be to use the option and operate the Turku route with two identical sisters. This would also free the Viking Grace for use on other routes - rumours about transferring her to Helsinki-Stockholm have occasionally circulated. Of course, anything related to the optional sister is pure speculation.

The photos below, meanwhile, show the Viking Grace and Amorella arriving at Mariehamn for their simultaneous afternoon call, allowing for passengers to and from the Åland islands to disembark/embark, but - more importantly - allowing people making a 'picnic cruise' from Turku or Stockholm to change ships. Photographed from Västra Ytternäs, if I remember correctly. As always, click on the images to see them in larger size.

The weather and lighting were far from perfect - I fiddled with these quite a lot to make them less grey - but the synchronised arrival and turning is rather neat.

Interesting to compare the ship's looks; the same company, designed for the same route, but 25 years between them.

The dance of the (not so) little ferries.

Kships will return at latest at the end of this month with photos of the brand-new Megastar.

Amorella in Helsinki, 2 June 2013

Kships returns from briefly from its travelling hiatus. I recently returned from a four-night Baltic Sea cruise on St. Peter Line's Princess Anastasia, and will be starting the day after tomorrow for a week in Latvia. Photos from the Princess Anastasia will be fortcoming later (alongside a trip report over at MaritimeMatters). In the meantime, we will be looking at Viking Line's Amorella, which unusually sails on the Helsinki-Stockholm run at the moment.

Amorella

IMO 8601915
Built 1988, Brodogradiliste Split, Yugoslavia
Tonnage 35 384 GT
Length 169,40 m
Width 27,60 m
Draught 6,35 m
2 480 passengers
2 046 berths
350 cars
900 lane metres
4 Wärtsilä-Pielstick diesels, combined 23 760 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 21,5 knots

For a short history of the Amorella, see the first entry on her. Between 30 May and 5 June this year the Amorella sails on the Helsinki-Stockholm run, covering for (a part of) the duration that the Gabriella is in drydock. This meant that there were/are three chances to photograph her in Helsinki in her new Grace-striped livery (31 May, 2 June and 4 June). I had a chance to go and photograph her yesterday, and of course I took it.

The photographs below show the Amorella in and departing from Helsinki South Harbour on 2 June 2013. Photographed from onboard the Suomenlinna II and from Kustaanmiekka. Click on the images to see in larger size.

I'm not normally one for photos taken at quay but this does look good. Plus it's the quay in Helsinki and thus relevant.

Panorama with the Helsinki cathedral in the distance.

Sailing towards Kustaanmiekka.

Clearing the Kustaanmiekka strait.

More panoramic fiddling with fortifications in the foreground.

The weather was amazing, hence all the spectators on the ramparts.

To be seen in Helsinki one more time tomorrow.

Kships will return next week!

Amorella in Mariehamn, 15 February 2013

Amorella

IMO 8601915
Built 1988, Brodogradiliste Split, Yugoslavia
Tonnage 35 384 GT
Length 169,40 m
Width 27,60 m
Draught 6,35 m
2 480 passengers
2 046 berths
350 cars
900 lane metres
4 Wärtsilä-Pielstick diesels, combined 23 760 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 21,5 knots

For a short history of the Amorella, see this earlier entry.

Following the delivery of the new Viking Grace, the Amorella was sailed to the Öresundsvarvet shipyard at Landskrona (Sweden) for an overhaul of her technical spaces and interiors. The the duration of the docking she was replaced by the Isabella, which handily was (and remains) without a job following the arrival of the Viking Grace. In addition to the changes to the insides of the ship, she also recieved the first change to her exterior during her lenghty career, with Viking Grace -style white decorative stripes added to her hull. It remains to be seen if these stripes will be a speciality of the Turku route of if they will be painted on all Viking ships.

The photographs below show the Amorella arriving at and departing from Mariehamn on 15 February 2013. Photographed from onboard the Viking Grace. Click on the images to see them in larger size.

As you can see, the weather was obviously far from ideal. But since these are my first photos featuring the Amorella in her new livery, I this a little grey sky is acceptable.

The livery is of course purely a matter of taste, but personally I quite like the added stripes. Also, I'm glad they didn't fully go the Viking Grace route and repaint the funnel all white; it's just so much better with red.

The Split shipyard did awesome work with the exterior design of the Amorella and her sisters I think.

Looks like the Amorella was passing the Grace, but in fact she's just about to turn in order to reverse to her quay.

Here we go...

About 20 minutes later, the Amorella departs...

...and sails onwards to Stockholm.

Next time: Baltic Princess (probably).

Amorella off Kobba Klintar, 24 June 2012

Amorella

IMO 8601915
Built 1988, Brodogradiliste Split, Yugoslavia
Tonnage 35 384 GT
Length 169,40 m
Width 27,60 m
Draught 6,35 m
2 480 passengers
2 046 berths
350 cars
900 lane metres
4 Wärtsilä-Pielstick diesels, combined 23 760 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 21,5 knots

We are nearing the end of the Kobba Klintar series - though it's not over just yet. Today's entry is one of the most ignored ships in this blog: Viking Line's Turku-Stockholm ferry Amorella, which was (until now) the only ship in the current Viking Line fleet to be featured in just a single entry. There is a very good reason for this, as the ship sails in the morning departure from Turku and I'm definately not a morning person. ;) Well, that and the fact she's a bit challenging to photograph from the Helsinki-Stockholm ferries too. In any case, the lack of Amorella is now being corrected with this entry. For a short account of the Amorella's (uneventful) history, see the first entry on her.

The photographs below show the Amorella departing Mariehamn for Stockholm in the afternoon of 24. June 2012, photographed from Kobba Klintar. Click on the images to see in larger size.

Coming out of Mariehamn, the Amorella leads and Isabella follows. Notice also how faded the funnel of the Isabella looks compared to her sister; clearly maintainance is not a top priority for a ship soon to be sold.

The Split Sisters have very impressive bow waves (slightly reminescent of the Finnjet, albeit in smaller scale). Compare, if you will, with the Galaxy photos taken on the same day in the same location.

Presumably the exterior design of these ships was largely the work of the Split shipyard, as there is an almost completely dissimilar suggestion for the same ship by Wärtsilä in Viking Line's 50th anniversary book (which is great and well worth a read). The then-Yugoslavs did an awesome job, tror jag.

*insert stereotypical caption about Finnish granite here*

That lighthouse again, now competing for the position of the photogenic add-on with a sailing boat.

Stockholm awaits (the passengers, at least. For me, what awaited was the Isabella that was soon passing Kobba Klintar behind my back).

Next time: Isabella.

Amorella, 2 June 2007

Amorella

IMO 8601915
Built 1988, Brodogradiliste Split, Yugoslavia
Tonnage 35 384 GT
Length 169,40 m
Width 27,60 m
Draught 6,35 m
2 480 passengers
2 046 berths
350 cars
900 lane metres
4 Wärtsilä-Pielstick diesels, combined 23 760 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 21,5 knots

Amorella was the first of the four near-identical ships built by Brodogradiliste Split in Yugoslavia/Croatia. Interestingly, while her sisters Isabella, Gabriella and Crown of Scandinavia (soon to be renamed, presumably, Crown Seaways) have led a varied existance, the Amorella has spent her entire career sailing for one company, on the same route, without major structural alterations.

SF Line ordered what was eventually be the Amorella (the project name was lillasyster, "little sister" [of the Mariella]) from the Split shipyard in December 1985. In fact, SF Line had initially signed an Memorandum of Agreement with Chantiers de l'Atlantique in France, but when the Bank of Finland (that had to approve all purchases from abroad by Finnish companies at the time) did not give their approval until the MoA had expired, Chantiers de l'Atlantique had taken a different order and could not give SF Line the construction slot originally agreed on. As a result SF Line decided to place their order in Yugoslavia - which came as something of a shock to the Finnish shipbuilder Wärtsilä who had been convinced they would get the order (this what, in part, led to Wärtsilä offering to build the Cinderella to SF Line in 1986).

The Amorella was meant to be delivered in the beginning of 1988, but her construction was severely delayed and she was not delivered until September 1988 (resultingly she got the nickname "Eventuella", from the Swedish word eventuell, "possible"). On delivery she was placed on the Turku-Mariehamn-Stockholm service, replacing the Rosella. Initially the Amorella sailed parallel to the Viking Sally (perhaps better known as the ill-fated Estonia), then from 1990 until the end of 1993 her route-mate was the Kalypso. When the Kalypso was sold following the bankruptcy of Rederi AB Slite, the Rosella returned to the Turku service as Amorella's running mate. During the summers 1995 and 1996 the Cinderella sailed in place of the Rosella. In 1997 the Isabella joined Amorella on the Turku route and since then, the that service has been operated by the two sisters.

During her career the Amorella has suffered two notable accidents: a grounding near Stockholm in February 1993 and a minor collision with Finnlines' Finnfellow while both ships were stuck in heavy ice in March 2010. Much of the ship's public spaces were rebuilt during a docking at Landskrona in September 2008.

The Amorella is likely to be replaced by a new ship sometime after 2013, following the replacement of the Isabella by the as-of-yet unnamed newbuilding, due for delivery from STX Europe's Turku shipyard in 2013.

The photographs below show the Amorella in the Stockholm archipelago, en-route to Stockholm from Turku and Mariehamn on the evening of 2 June 2007. Photographed from onboard the Mariella. Click on the image(s) view larger size.

I admit that probably every ship-buff in Finland or Sweden has taken this photo at some time. Doesn't make it any less good tho'.

I don't know about you, but I find the Amorella a very good-looking ship with her bridge placed so high.

It's impressive longevity that the ship looks almost exactly the same in this pic as she did back in 1988. Apart from some small changes she's exactly the same ship.

No blowing the horn when passing ships of the same company here - the people with summer cottages along the shores would be mad. Plus it kinda gets old when it happens every day.

On towards Stockholm and another pile of passengers.