MS Amorella

MS "Amorella" is a cruiseferry operated by the Finnish ferry company Viking Line on the route Turku—Mariehamn/Långnäs—Stockholm. She was built in 1988 by Brodogradiliste Split in Yugoslavia.

History

The "Amorella" was ordered in 1986 by SF Line, one of the partners in Viking Line consortium. Although Brodogradiliste Split outbid other shipyards, the Finnish State offered to subsidise construction of the ship if she was built at a Finnish shipyard. This was a common practice in the 1980s to bring more jobs to Finland, but this time SF Line declined and had the ship built in Croatia. The original planned delivery date for the "Amorella" was in March 1988, but due to delays in construction she was not completed until September, which meant SF Line was forced to operate the lucrative summer season with old tonnage.

Except for short periods of time in 1997, 1998 and 2002, the "Amorella" has always served on the Turku—Mariehamn/Långnäs—Stockholm route, making her the longest-lasting ship on that route. Originally she only called in Mariehamn during day crossing, but in July 1999 she had to start calling at the Åland Islands in both directions to maintain tax free sales onboard, and as a result a call at Långnäs was added to the night crossing.

Like all ships the "Amorella" has suffered occasional misfortune. In 1993 the ship ran aground near Stockholm. She was able to come off by her own power, but her bottom was damaged in the process; she started taking in water and diesel oil leaked from a damaged fuel tank. The ship continued to Stockholm, and after unloading passengers and cargo she sailed to Luonnonmaan Telakka, Naantali for repairs. In 1995, and again in 2001, there was a fire in one of the cabins but the ship's own firefighters managed to put it out. In May 2005 there was a fire in a car parked on the cardeck on Deck 5, but that too was put out by the ship's crew.

Future

As a part of Viking Line's rebuilding programme, "Amorella"'s public spaces and cabins will be rebuilt within the next few years. [fi icon [http://www.vikingline.fi/yritysinfo/lehdistotiedotteet/tuotteet_071004_laadunkehitys.asp Viking Line press release: Viking Linella merkittävä laadunkehitysohjelma] , retrieved 23. 10. 2007]

Decks

# Engine room
# C and economy-class cabins
# Cardeck
# Cardeck (hydraulic platform that can be lowered to divide the car deck in two giving space for two layers of passenger cars)
# Cardeck, A- and B-class cabins
# Sauna, hot tubs, swimming pool, A- and B-class cabins
# Sea Side Café & Internet, "Air seats", children's playroom, information desk, boarding, Tax-Free shop, Pearl Beauty Shop, B-class cabins, crew accommodations
# Viking Buffet, Pub, Food Garden and BBQ House restaurants, conference rooms, Fun Club, Casino
# Disco, luxury cabins, suites, crew accommodations, sundeck
# Conference rooms, disco, crew accommodations
# Crew accommodations, sundeck
# Bridge

References

External links

* [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/amorella_1988.htm MS Amorella at Fakta om Fartyg] (in Swedish)
* [http://www.vikingline.fi/onboard/amorella/ Viking Line official website]

fi:M/S Amorella
sv:M/S Amorella