MS Wasa Queen

MS "Wasa Queen" is a cruiseferry, currently used a a casino cruiseship by Cruise Ferries, a daughter company of Star Cruises. She was built in 1975 by Dubegion-Normandie S.A., Nantes, France for Steamship Company Bore, Finland as MS "Bore Star". She has also served under the names MS "Silja Star", MS "Orient Express", MS "Club Sea", MS "Eurosun" and MS "Orient Sun".

History

1975-1986

In 1972 the Finnish-Swedish ferry consortium Silja Line started around-the-year car/passenger ferry traffic between Helsinki and Stockholm, 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 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. [http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Silja3.html Simplon Postcards: Silja Line Page 3 - Second Generation Car Ferries 1971-80] , retrieved 5. 11. 2007]

MS "Bore Star" was the last of the new ships to be delivered, in December 1975.sv icon [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/bore_star_1975.htm Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Bore Star (1975)] , retieved 5. 11. 2007] sv icon [http://www.vasabatarna.se/wasaqueen/wasa_queen.htm Vasabåtarna.se: Wasa Queen] , retieved 5. 11. 2007] 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 immediately after delivery. Until May 1976 she cruised around the Canary Islands and West Coast of Africa under the trade name "Finnpartner" (her official name remained unchanged). [http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Bore_Star_1975.html Simplon postcards: Bore Star - Finnpartner (3) - Silja Star - Orient Express - Club Sea - Eurosun - Orient Sun - Wasa Queen] , retrieved 5. 11. 2007] 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" [sv icon [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/svea_corona_1975.htm Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Svea Corona (1975)] , retrieved 5. 11. 2007] and MS "Wellamo" [sv icon [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/wellamo_1975.htm Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Wellamo (1975)] , retrieved 5. 11. 2007] until the end of October 1976 (she also briefly served on the Turku—Stockholm route in May and SeptemberFact|date=November 2007). 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 were raising rapidly and Finland SS Co (which had changed its name to Effoa in 1976) and Svea were planning to build new ships for the Helsinki—Stockholm service. [ [http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Silja4.html Simplon Postcards: Silja Line Page 4 - Third Generation Car Ferries 1981-] , retieved 5. 11. 2007] Bore wanted to concentrate on freight traffic [sv icon [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/bore_line.htm Fakta om Fartyg: Ångfartygs Ab Bore] , retrieved 5. 11. 2007] and as a result the company sold it's share of Silja Line to the other owners in July 1980, and "Bore Star"'s ownership passed to Effoa. Forllowing the sale she was transferred to the Turku—Mariehamn—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 Werft, Bremerhaven, Germany.Fact|date=November 2007 In AprilFact|date=November 2007 1986 she re-emerged as MS "Orient Express" and started sailing on a route connecting Venice, Pireus and Istanbul. Between December 1986 and April 1987 the ship was chartered to Club Sea Inc who used for cruising on the Caribbean 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), renamed MS "Orient Sun" and started ferry service between Singapore and Jakarta, Indonesia. 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 onwards

Between April and May 1992 the "Orient Sun" was rebuilt at Kotkan Telakka Oy, Kotka, Finland, for service on EffJohn's subsidiary Wasa Line. With the name MS "Wasa Queen" she started service between Vaasa in Finland and Sundsvall in Sweden on May 15, 1992. In addition to the Vaasa—Sundsvall route she also sailed from Vaasa to Umeå. In 1993 EffJohn reorganised their operations, merging Wasa Line into Silja Line. [sv icon [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/oy_vasa_umea_ab.htm Fakta om Fartyg: Wasa Line] , retrieved 5. 11. 2007] 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 [ [http://www.vasabatarna.se/wasaqueen/mb_filer/wasa_line_slut.jpgPhotograph: Wasa Line slut] , retrieved 5. 11. 2007] showing her being painted in Silja Line colours in Vaasa harbour with MS "Wasa King" (which left Wasa Line fleet in January 1993) [sv icon [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/viking_sally_1980.htm Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Viking Sally (1980)] , retrieved 5. 11. 2007] [sv icon [http://www.vasabatarna.se/wasaking/wasa_king.htm Vasabåtarna.se: M/S Wasa King] , retrieved 5. 11. 2007] 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 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. [Silja Line brochure 1. 9. - 31. 12. 1996, pages 27-31] [Silja Line timatables and prices brochure 1. 10. 1996 - 12. 6. 1997, pages 14-18] After "Silja Festival" stopped sailing on the route, "Wasa Queen" had two daily departures from each port. [Silja Line brochure 13. 6. - 30. 9. 1997, page 86] Starting from October 1997 GTS "Finnjet" spent the winter season sailing between Helsinki and Tallinn, [ [http://www.finnjetweb.com/en/fakten/chronik.htm Finnjetweb: Finnjet chronicle by Salomon Kaukiainen] , retrieved 5. 11. 2007] [sv icon [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/finnjet_1977.htm GTS Finnjet (1977)] , retrieved 5. 11. 2007] 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"'s terminal at Katajanokka, not Silja Line's normal Olympiaterminal). [Silja Line brochure autumn 1997 - spring 1998, page 38]

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 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 meeting in Genoa. At the end of that charter, on July 28, the ship was sold to Star 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 and Xiamen.

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.Fact|date=November 2007 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.Fact|date=November 2007 On 9 July 2007 "Wasa Queen" began making 12-hour casino cruises out of Port Klang, Malaysia. Her role on day and overnight cruises in Hong Kong was replaced by MS "Star Pisces", whose role is in turn replaced by MS "SuperStar Aquarius".Fact|date=November 2007 At the same time, "Wasa Queen" was listed for sale.Fact|date=November 2007

Wasa Queen moved to Port Klang to operate daily overnight cruises from July 2007 until Oct 2008. She ceased the operation on 6 Oct and future unknown.Fact|date=October 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.cruise-ferries.com.hk/index_en.htm Cruise Ferries official website]

fi:M/S Wasa Queen