Crown Seaways in Copenhagen, 4 December 2017

A week ago, I was in Copenhagen to give a joint lecture with Bruce Peter on Innovation and Specialisation – The Story of Shipbuilding in Finland at a meeting of Denmark's Skibteknisk Selskab. The trip also gave a chance to photograph a ship I never had a chance to photograph in decent weather before: the Crown Seaways.

Before we get to the photos and history of the Crown Seaways, a little message regarding the book for my Finnish readers: Adlibris are selling it here (I'd give you a price if I could, but that seems to change by some kind of dynamic pricing; when I looked earlier today it was 46,20 €, but now it displays as 57,10 and who knows what the next time), and Akateeminen Kirjakauppa are selling it both online and at their store in Central Helsinki for 79,90 €.

Now to the subject at hand.

Crown Seaways

IMO 8917613
Name history: Thomas Mann, Crown of Scandinavia, Crown Seaways
Built 1994, Brodogradiliste Split, Croatia
Tonnage 35 498 GT
Length 171,32 m
Width 28,20 m
Draugth 6,35 m
Ice class 1 A Super
1 790 passengers
2 402 berths
450 cars
900 lane metres
4 Pielstick diesels, combined 23 760 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Top speed 21,5 knots
Service speed 16,10 knots

The Crown Seaways was originally contracted in 1989 by Rederi AB Sea-Link as the second ship for their planned Euroway Malmö-Lübeck service. As the ships were contracted from Brodogradiliste Split in Croatia (with a design based on the earlier Split-built pair Amorella and Isabella), both ended up delayed; the first sister, the Frans Suell (today the Gabriella) only mildly so, making it in time for the 1992 summer season. The delay was more severe on the second ship, which according to different sources as planned to be named either Frans Kockum or Thomas Mann. By the time the ship was supposed to be delivered in 1993, Euroway had formed a joint service with Silja Line, and no longer had need for the second ship. She was then completed at a slower pace, finally leaving the yard in March 1994, albeit for docking at Fincantieri in Trieste, and embarking on her sea trials in May 1994, under the name Thomas Mann.

Also in May 1994 DFDS first acquired an option to purchase the ship, and then took it up during the same month (some sources claim she was actually briefly owned by EffJohn, the owners of Silja Line, in the interim to keep their arch-rivals Viking Line from getting their hands on the ship). In June DFDS sailed the ship to the Lloyd Werft shipyard Bremerhaven, where rear sponsons were added. It also appears that the ship got her original DFDS name, Crown of Scandinavia, around this time. The Crown of Scandinavia entered service on DFDS' Copenhagen-Helsingborg-Oslo route (like all DFDS passenger routes, it was marketed under the Scandinavian Seaways brand at the time) in July 1994, a route on which she has remained to this day.

In 1999, the Scandinavian Seaways brand name was abandoned in favour of reverting to the old DFDS Seaways name. In late 2006, the intermediate call at Helsingborg was eliminated from the route of the ship. In 2010, DFDS decided to unify their brand identity: the previous multitude of brands – DFDS Seaways, DFDS Tor Line, DFDS Lisco and DFDS Lys Line – were abandoned in favour of marketing all seabourne operations as DFDS Seaways, but with a new livery based on the blue-hulled colours of DFDS Tor Line. At the same time, all ships were renamed, with the new names ending with -Seaways. Oddly, while the Crown of Scandinavia was painted in the new colours fairly soon, her name was amended to Crown Seaways only in 2013.

In 2015, anticipating DFDS' 150th anniversary the next year, the company unveiled yet another rebranding, this time simply to DFDS, and a new livery with darker blue hulls and funnels. The Crown Seaways has, however, yet to be repainted in this new image; reportedly this is due to her being painted with a special paint, guaranteed to last five years, before the most recent rebranding was carried out. Judging by the rust evident in the photos below, I presume she will be repainted in the new colours during her next drydocking in spring 2018.

The photo  below show the Crown Seaways arriving at DFDS' Copenhagen terminal in the morning of 4 December 2017, photographed from the tip of Langelinie. (I was up in time as I had been forced to wake up at five am to catch my 7:30 flight to Copenhagen...). As always, click on the images to see them in larger size.

I had never been at Langelinie before, so I had no idea of how the photos would turn out. I think these are pretty alright.

That little cargo ship not-so-little tanker (thanks Juhani) was in the background a lot.

A "little" bit of rust here and there. Definately time for a repaint, methinks.

It's interesting that DFDS have not removed the grille from the front of the funnel, which Viking Line did immediately when they bought the sister ship. It doesn't seem to serve any purpose and adds unnescessary weight.

Reversing into the quay. My impression is that DFDS usually use the other quay (the Pearl Seaways certainly did when I sailed on her) so it was lucky for me the Crown used this side on this particular day.

Pearl Seaways interiors, 14 April 2016

Pearl Seaways

IMO 8701674
Name history: Athena, Star Aquarius, Langkapuri Star Aquarius, Pearl of Scandinavia, Pearl Seaways
Built 1989, Wärtsilä Marine Turku, Finland
Tonnage 40 039 GT
Length 178,40 m
Width 29,61 m
Draught 6,50 m
2 200 passengers
2 166 berths
320 cars
1 008 lanemeters
4 Wärtsilä-Sulzer diesels, combined 23 730 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 21 knots

Even though this is the first time the Pearl Seaways is featured on this blog, I decided I won't be explaining the history of the ship for you, as I normally would in such a situation. Instead, I would like to say a few words about what sailing with DFDS was like.

This wasn't the first time I've sailed with DFDS, of course. I was on the Princess of Scandinavia shortly before she was withdrawn from service (interior photos from that ship here), and I've always remembered that trip fondly as one of the best ferry crossings I have ever undertaken. I was eager to see if DFDS had kept up their quality.

They had. The Pearl Seaways was, quite simply put, the best ferry I have sailed on in terms of service (except, perhaps, for the much-missed Silja Opera, but then again she wasn't technically a ferry anyway). The interiors were quite swish, but more important was the service quality. Table service for drinks at the night club and the buffet is something my local Baltic Sea ferries do not offer (not to mention a pot of coffee brought to your table at breakfast!). And when I asked the staff if it was okay to photograph the restaurant spaces when they were empty, the answer was "of course!" A certain ferry operator sailing from Finland should take notes.

I was boring and only ate at the buffet. The selection was perhaps not as extensive as, for example, on the ships of Viking Line, but the quality of what was on offer more than made up for it. Not to mention the fact there was a proper vegetarian option. In that respect, all the ferry operators from my home waters should take notes. I ate at the first seating, but that was very much a mistake: sailing from Copenhagen you have the wonderful views at Öresund (and sailing from Oslo the Oslofjord), which really should be enjoyed from the outer deck with a camera. So my recommendation is to go and eat only after passing the twin cities of Helsingborg/Helsingør.

Not everything onboard was perfect. The buffet had no dessert plates, there were intrusive announcements in the cabins and the beds (or at least my bed) lacked mattress toppers, making them quite uncomfortable. I was also rather surprised and disappointed that DFDS' 150th anniversary book was not sold onboard.

But, even with the little criticism, still the best ferry experience I've had. And it was certainly fascinating so see an old Viking Line ferry in a completely new guise.

Now, onwards to the photos. All were taken onboard the Pearl Seaways in the afternoon or evening of 14 April 2016. As per the usual, click on the images to see them in larger size.

Deck 11 has suites forward (added in a recent refit), a lounge exclusively for the use of Commodore Class passengers, conference rooms and an outdoors bar aft. I didn't venture into the conference rooms for photographing as there was a sign "for conference guests only" on the door.

This used to be a forward-facing sun deck, until the suites - the structure right in front of us in this photo - were added in 2014 (I think). The suites are only accessible via the outer deck, so all in all this is a very strange addition (especially as there seem to be underutilised spaces lower down on the ship, where the suites could have been more practically added).

The Sky Bar aft on deck 11. Notice the funnel, in DFDS' new dark blue colours. I rather like them, but alas the trip didn't give decent chances to photograph the ship from the outside.

Deck 10 is given over exclusively to cabins, but there are also jacuzzis on the outer deck aft (presumably a relic from the ship's time as a cruise ship). My cabin happened to be on this deck.

The forward staircase, photographed from the 10th deck langing up towards deck 11. I like the nautical photos, but I'm a bit disappointed they aren't ones of DFDS' own old ships (although there are several of those, as well as models of old DFDS ships, on the public room decks).

A blast from the past: the cabin corridors look like they haven't been altered since 1989, except for the cabin doors which have been painted white. Most of them seem to be original panelled doors, although some have been changed into non-panelled ones. The mix of the two looks a bit cheap, and in general the cabin corridors and not up to the same standards as the rest of the ship.

Blast from the past, part 2. Notice how the colour of the bed headboard matches the corridor walls outside.

The jacuzzi aft. The one on port side was in use, so I photographed this one. I quite regretted not packing swimwear.

Deck 9 has more cabins and the navigation bridge.

Deck 8 is the upper of the main public room decks, with four restaurants (Blue Riband, Marco Polo, Little Italy and Explorer's), three bars (Navigators Bar, Red+White and Champagne Bar) and a night club (Columbus Club).

Blue Riband is a banquet space reserved for large groups at the forward end of deck eight. It really feels like a waste of space, the best views on the ship and the space is not normally in use.

Blue Riband in flanked by two different speciality restaurants on either side. Little Italy - you guessed it, an italian restaurant, is on the starboard side.

While the port side has the Marco Polo fine dining restaurant.

Aft of Marco Polo is this weird space, originally (when the ship was Viking Line's Athena) this was the gournet restaurant Safir. Now it seems to function as an overspill space for Marco Polo.

The two-deck atrium spanning from deck seven and eight is rather nice.

Explorer's steakhouse is amidship on deck eight, in the area originally occupied by the ship's buffet restaurant.

For some reason, one table - but only one - had the dannebrog on display. I had to document it, of course.

This - I think - is the Navigators Bar. But I'm not 100% certain, as DFDS didn't provide a deck plan and I didn't photograph the ones on the walls (which were very good), so this could also be the Champagne Bar.

The Columbus Club had absolutely superb views. I wonder if the coloured lights on the ceiling above the dance floor are original?

Most chairs in the space were dark, except a few in the aft starboard corner that were purple. These were identical apart from the colour, but still they seemed to be the most popular seats in the club.

Deck 7 has the buffet restaurant forward, followed by the atrium, a casino, cafeteria and some cabins amidships, and the Sea Shop aft. The atrium was, of course, originally the ship's entrance lobby, but today only the entrances on deck five are used in both ports.

7 Seas buffet (note that it's written with a numeral, not "Seven Seas") looks quite neat and probably has the best views of all spaces onboard. The double height right at the front is a nice bonus.

Another 7 Seas shot. The servery areas are in the background on the left.

I'll spare you the food photos, but I just wanted to share this eminently civilized coffee pot that was brought to my table as if by magic.

Baresso Coffee, with the entrance to the tax-free shop in the background.

Deck 6 has the bubble zone pool and sauna area forward, followed by cabins.

Deck 5 has more cabins, as well as the entrance lobby.

Deck 3 and 4 are the car decks.

(Deck 2 had additional cabins when the ship was new, but these don't seem to be in passenger use anymore. I don't complain.)

Kships will return.

Princess of Scandinavia interiors, 6-7 October 2006

Princess of Scandinavia

IMO 7361324
Name history: Tor Scandinavia, Princess of Scandinavia, Moby Otta
Built 1976, Lübecker Flender-Werke, West Germany
Tonnage 22 528 GT
Length 184,55 m
Width 26,40 m
Draugth 6,20 m
1 507 passengers
1 617 berths
420 cars
910 lanemetres
4 Pielstick diesels, combined 33 540 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 27 knots

Inside, the Princess of  Scandinavia posessed a similar feature as the Finnjet did during her later years: while most of her interiors had been rebuilt and were very stylish and up-to-date, she beautifully retained the feeling of being onboard a ship with a history. In the case of the Princess this was further enhanced by the extremely good care DFDS Seawyas had taken of the ship. In 2006 the 30-year old ship that was to be sold in less than a month was in a better condition inside than some year-old ships I've sailed on.

The photographs below were taken during a short Gothenburg-Kristiansand "party cruise" (and it was quite partyish too). As with the previous photos of this ship, these have been taken with a less good camera than my newer photos and as such the quality can be inferior to what you've usually seen here. Additionally the colours in several of the photos are severely distorted, due to the said camera taking terribly yellow-tinted photographs indoors. Furthermore, since I did not take notes on which space is decipted in which photograph, some of the spaces might be misindentified. I would appriciate any and all corrections.

Click on the individual images to view full size.

Firing up the engines on departure from Kristiansand in the morning of 7 October 2006.

Deck 9

Navigation bridge. Travelling in the company of the founder of Finnjetweb, the crew were kind enough to grant us a bridge visit. 7 October 2006.

Outdoors swimming pools are rare sights on North European ferries, but the Tor Britannia and Tor Scandinavia were built with such. The pool was closed in October of course, but climbing to deck 10 (which technically was out-of-bounds) gave nice view of the pool area. presulambly the pool has been put to good use during the ship's new Mediterranean career as the Moby Otta. 7 October 2006.

Deck 7

Forward hall on deck 7, between the commodore-class cabins and the night club. 6 October 2006.

Columbus night club with Swedish party cruisers. The two Finns, a Brit and German were on the other side of the camera. 6 October 2006.

I presume these are original 1970s artworks on the aft staircase (or possibly the midship staircase) on deck 7. 6 October 2006.

Deck 6

The arcade on port side of deck 8, connecting the Blue Riband a la carte restaurant to the Seven Seas buffet restaurant. Sadly I did not take any photographs inside the restaurants. The buffet retained some rather attractive original 1976 decorations. 6 October 2006.

Deck 5

The very chic elevator on Deck 5 central hall, facing aft. For an interesting contrast with this refined 2006-look, compare with the photograph of the (equally stylish but in a completely different way) original 1976 stylings from Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Tor Scandinavia inredning. 6 October 2006.

More of deck 5 central hall. Behind the information and bureau de change is/was the surprisingly small tax-.free shop. 6 October 2006

Deck 1

The bridge visit also gave us a chance to visit the engineering. The working spaces of the ship certainly gave a strong contrast to the sleek and clean looks of the ship's interiors elsewhere. 7 October 2006.

More of the engine room. 7 October 2006.

....and the trip is almost over: passing under the Älvsborg bridge en-route back to Gothenburg harbour.

Princess of Scandinavia, 6 October 2006

Princess of Scandinavia

IMO 7361324
Name history: Tor Scandinavia, Princess of Scandinavia, Moby Otta
Built 1976, Lübecker Flender-Werke, West Germany
Tonnage 22 528 GT
Length 184,55 m
Width 26,40 m
Draugth 6,20 m
1 507 passengers
1 617 berths
420 cars
910 lanemetres
4 Pielstick diesels, combined 33 540 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 27 knots

Following a trip to the archives, I present the long-promised photographs of DFDS Seaways' Princess of Scandinavia, sailing today as Moby Lines' Moby Otta (see that entry also for the history of the ship). In terms of her exterior appearance the second Tor sisters (the Princess of Scandinavia and her sister) had long been some of my favourite ships, with long, sleek streamlined looks and large, powerful funnels. Even with added side sponsons that would have destroyed the looks of most ships this pair looked very smart. Further delightful details include an outdoors sundeck, certainly a novelty on a North Sea ferry.

On hearing the news that DFDS Seaways would be closing down the Gothenburg-Newcastle in late 2006, me and three of my friends decided to travel to Gothenburg and take a trip with the ship before she would be sold to Moby Lines. There photographs, unsurpsingly, are from that trip. I will probably be posting some interior photographs from the same trip later on.

Princess of Scandinavia at Gothenburg on 6 October 2006. Please note that these pictures date from the time when I did not yet have a digital SLR camera and as such the image quality is less good than on most other photos I have posted here. Click on the individual images to view full size.

It looks like a brochure image from the Caribbean, but it's in fact a view from the Göta Ävlbron in Gothenburg. Notice how beautifully the raked "support beam" in the aft continues the in the curve of the funnel.

Another view in Gothenburg harbour. Outside she's showing a few small rust stains but inside she was in an immaculate condition.