MS Kristina Regina

M/S "Kristina Regina" is a cruiseship owned by the Finnish shipping company Kristina Cruises. She was originally built in 1960 by Oskarshamn shipyard, Oskarshamn, Sweden as the car/passenger ferry S/S "Bore" for Steamship Company Bore, Finland. She was later known as S/S "Borea", before being rebuilt in her current form in 1988.

History

S/S "Bore" was built at the Oskarshamn shipyard in Oskarshamn, Sweden as the last steamship to be built in the Nordic Countries. On April 5, 1960 she was delivered to the Finnish Bore Steamship Company, who were at the time collaborating with Finland Steamship Company and Rederi AB Svea (this collaboration gave birth to Silja Line in 1970). She was initially placed on the route Turku — Mariehamn — Stockholm, although she was often used on the Helsinki — Stockholm route as well. Most Bore Steamship Company's ships had a number in their name (Bore I, Bore II, etc), and the lack of number in the name of this ship led to it being nicknamed "Nolla-Bore" (Zero-Bore) by Finnish seamen. In 1972 the ship was rebuilt with additional cabins. She ended service with Silja Line in September 1976, after which she was laid up in Stockholm until October 1977 when she was sold to Jakob Lines, a company Bore Steamship owned a large share of. She was renovated and renamed S/S "Borea". In 1978, the Borea started operating between Jakobstad and Skellefteå. Generally Jakob Lines only operated her during the summer months, the rest of the year was spent either laid up or occasionally chartered to other companies.

Jakob Lines sold the ship in 1984 to Finnish Aura Line who used her to restart steamship traffic from Turku to Stockholm as a tourist venture. Borea started traffic for Aura Line in June 1984, but already in October of the same year Aura Line was declared bankrupt. The ship spent another year laid up, until she was sold to a Canadian businessman who planned to convert her to a luxury cruiseship. The plan was never carried out, and the ship continued to be laid up in Turku until January 1987 when Rannikkolinjat, a Finnish company later known as Kristina Cruises, purchased her. The ship was extensively rebuilt as a cruise ship, her steam engines switched to diesel ones and she was renamed M/S "Kristina Regina". In 1988, Kristina Regina was placed on cruise traffic from Finland mostly to destinations along the Gulf of Finland, but later also destinations in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and Africa's west coast. As of February 2007, she is the only Finnish cruiseship in service.

pecifications

/S Bore

* Built: 1960, Oskarshamn shipyard, Oskarshamn, Sweden
* Length: 99,38 meters
* Width: 15,28 meters
* Depth: 5,26 meters
* Tonnage: 3,492 BRT
* Passengers: 1028
* Beds: 333
* Car capacity: 50
* Max speed: 16 knots

M/S Kristina Regina

* Rebuilt: 1988, Wärtsilä, Kotka, Finland
* Length: 99,38 meters
* Width: 15,28 meters
* Depth: 5,26 meters
* Tonnage: 4,295 BRT
* Passengers: 245
* Beds: 249
* Max speed: 17 knots

External links

* [http://www.kristinacruises.fi/?&lang=english Company website]
* [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/bore_1960.htm S/S Bore at Fakta om Fartyg] (in Swedish)