MS Regina Baltica

M/S "Regina Baltica" is a cruiseferry operated by the Estonian shipping company Tallink on the line connecting Stockholm, Sweden with Riga, Latvia. She was built in 1980 as M/S "Viking Song" by Wärtsilä Perno shipyard, Finland for Rederi Ab Sally, one of the owners of the Viking Line consortium. She has also sailed under the names M/S "Braemar" and M/S "Anna Karenina".

History

Viking Line and Fred. Olsen service

Delivered in August 1980, M/S "Viking Song" was the last newbuilding delivered to Rederi Ab Sally for use on Viking Line's routes. She served alongside her sister M/S "Viking Saga" on the route connecting Helsinki, Finland to Stockholm. Although she was the newer of the two ships, when SF Line brought their new M/S "Mariella" to Helsinki–Stockholm service in 1985, the Viking Song was withdrawn from service and sold to Norwegian Fred. Olsen & Co. Her sister Viking Saga was withdrawn next year when Rederi AB Slite brought M/S "Olympia" into service, and rebuilt as the cruise ship M/S "Sally Albatross" for Sally's new Sally Cruises brand.

After rebuilding at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg where a second storey was added to her nightclub, "Viking Song" emerged as Fred. Olsen's new M/S "Braemar". She was initially set on a route connecting Oslo, Norway with Harwich, UK, although her route varied a lot during the next five years, with Hirtshals, Denmark replacing or appearing alongside Harwich as the main destination. In December 1990 Fred. Olsen sold their ferry operations to the new Color Line, however "Braemar" was not included in the sale and she was laid up.

Russian Army and Baltic Line

In January 1991 "Braemar" was chartered to Baltic Shipping Co. and renamed M/S "Baltica" for planned service between St. Petersburg, Russia and Stockholm. This service was never realised however, and for the time being the only change was moving the ship to Hamburg where she was again laid up. Later in the same month the ship was sub-chartered to the Russian army for transporting troops out of former East Germany. The ship, renamed M/S "Anna Karenina", was badly vandalised by the troops transported on board, and had to be docked in Hamburg afterwards for repairs.

March 1991 finally saw the beginning of a service out of St. Petersburg, when "Anna Karenina" started traffic on the St. Petersburg–Nynäshamn–Kiel route for Baltic Line. In 1995 St. Petersburg was dropped from the itinerary. In January 1996 Baltic Line was declared bankrupt and "Anna Karenina" (soon renamed "Anna K.") returned to Fred. Olsen for laying up in Germany.

EstLine and Tallink

Anna K. was sold to EstLine (a daughter company of Nordström & Thulin, Sweden and ESCO, Estonia) in 1996 for service between Tallinn, Estonia and Stockholm, Sweden. She was renamed M/S "Regina Baltica". In 1997 Nordström & Thulin withdrew from Estline leaving ESCO as the sole owner of the company. ESCO later changed its name to Hansatee Shipping. At the end of 2000 the name Estline was abandoned and the Tallinn–Stockholm service became a part of Tallink. In May 2004 a call at Mariehamn was added to maintain tax-free sales on board.

In spring 2005 the ship was temporarily chartered to NATO for training exercises in Norway. On September 28, 2005 the ship ran aground in Swedish waters near Kapellskär. There were no victims in the accident, which happened a day after the 11th anniversary of the sinking of the M/S "Estonia". In April 2006 "Regina Baltica" made three trips between Tallinn and Helsinki, due to the ice situation being so bad that all of Tallink's normal ships on the route could not traffic. On May of the same year M/S "Romantika" replaced her on the Tallinn–Mariehamn–Stockholm route, and "Regina Baltica" was moved to Stockholm–Riga route, where she replaced M/S "Fantaasia". In August of the same year her homeport was changed from Tallinn to Riga. In April 2007 M/S "Vana Tallinn" joined the "Regina Baltica" as a second ship for the Stockholm–Riga route.

External links

*sv icon [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/viking_song_1980.htm M/S "Viking Song" (1980)] at Fakta om Fartyg
*sv icon [http://www.tallinksilja.com/sv/tab2/ships/reginaBaltica/ Company website for "Regina Baltica"]

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