MS Isabella

300px MS Isabella in the Archipelago Sea, 19 May 2008
Career
Name:	MS Isabella
Owner:	1989–1995: SF Line 1995 onwards: Viking Line
Operator:	1989–1995: SF Line (in Viking Line traffic) 1995 onwards: Viking Line
Port of registry:	Mariehamn, Finland
Route:	Turku–Mariehamn–Stockholm (as of 2008)
Ordered:	1986-02-04
Builder:	Brodogradilište Split, Split, Yugoslavia
Yard number:	375
Laid down:	1987-09-15
Launched:	1988-08-13
Acquired:	1989-06-15
In service:	1989-07-04
Identification:	IMO number: 8700723
Status:	In service
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type:	Amorella class cruiseferry
Tonnage:	34,386 GT (gross tonnage) 3,680 metric tons deadweight (DWT)
Length:	169.40 m (555 ft 9 in)
Beam:	27.61 m (90 ft 7 in)
Draught:	6.26 m (20 ft 6 in)
Decks:	12
Ice class:	1A Super
Installed power:	4 × Wärtsilä-Pielstick 12 PC2 6V-400e diesels combined 24000 kW
Speed:	21.5 knots (39.82 km/h; 24.74 mph)
Capacity:	2200 passengers 1983 passenger berths 410 cars 970 lanemetres
General characteristics (after 2007 refit)
Tonnage:	35,154 GT
Length:	171.20 m (561 ft 8 in)
Draught:	6.40 m (21 ft 0 in)
Capacity:	2480 passengers 2166 passenger berths 364 cars 850 lanemetres
Notes:	Otherwise the same as built

MS Isabella is a cruiseferry owned and operated by the Finland-based Viking Line. She was built in 1989 by Brodogradilište Split in Split, Yugoslavia for SF Line, one of the partners in the Viking Line consortium. As of September 2008 she serves on the Turku—Mariehamn/Långnäs—Stockholm route.

Consept and construction

The Isabella was the second of two sister ships ordered by SF Line from Brodogradiliste Split in Split, Yugoslavia for Viking Line service (the first sister being MS Amorella). Order for the Isabella was placed on 1986-02-04, her keep was laid on 1987-09-15, and she was launched on 1988-08-13. Delivery to SF Line took place on 1989-06-15, and on 1989-06-20 the ship left Yugoslavia for Finland.

Service history

Prior to entering service the Isabella visited Pori, Finland where the ship was displayed to the public on 1989-07-03. She had originally been planned to replace MS Rosella on the Naantali—Mariehamn—Kapellskär route, but the authorities of Kapellskär failed to modernise the port of the town to accommodate a ship of such large size.^{[citation needed]} As a result, when delivered the ship was placed on a new Naantali—Stockholm route for the northern hemisphere summer season, and 24 hour cruises from Helsinki for the rest of the year.

In spring 1992 the ship was rebuilt at Naantali with a new skybar on deck 11, new cabins in place of the former second cardeck on deck 5 and her livery was slightly altered by the addition of a red stripe running along the windows of deck 6. After the 1992 summer season SF Line decided to terminate the Naantali—Stockholm service and the Isabella was placed on the Helsinki cruise route all year round. In summer 1993 she made a handful of cruises from Helsinki to Visby. After the 1994 summer season Isabella swapped routes with MS Cinderella and served Helsinki—Stockholm for the next three years. During the summer of 1996, instead of spending the day in Helsinki she made short 'picnic' cruises to Tallinn. These proved to be unprofitable and were terminated after the single season.

In 1997 Viking Line placed Isabella's newly-purchased sister MS Gabriella on the Helsinki—Stockholm route and Isabella joined Amorella on the Turku—Mariehamn—Stockholm route. After this Isabella has occasionally sailed on the Helsinki route when the normal ships of that route have been docked. She was rebuilt with rear sponsons at Naantali in 2000.

In September 2007 the ship was again docked at Naantali. Her tax-free shop, pub and disco were completely rebuilt, and two restaurants based on new concepts replaced two earlier restaurants. In the future Viking Line plan to refurbish all of the ship's cabins as a part of their large-scale fleet rebuilding programme.

Future

In January 2010 Viking Line's future CEO Mikael Backman stated the company are negotiating with several different shipyards about the possibility of constructing a pair of 60,0000 GT ships to replace Isabella and Amorella on the Turku—Stockholm -service. The projected delivery dates for the new vessels are in May 2012 and February 2013. Isabella's future in the Viking Line fleet is unknown, should the planned orders for new ships be realised.

Decks

As built, 1989

1. Unknown
2. Inside cabins
3. Car deck
4. Car deck (hydraulic platform that can be lowered to divide the car deck in two)
5. Outside and inside cabins, car deck
6. Sauna, hot tubs, swimming pool, outside and inside cabins
7. Cafeteria, children's playroom, information desk, tax-free shops, outside and inside cabins
8. Buffet and a la carte restaurants, pub, conference rooms, casino, night club
9. Discothèque (lower level), outside and inside cabin, sun deck
10. Discothèque (upper level), conference rooms, outside and inside cabins
11. Crew accommodations, sun deck
12. Bridge

As rebuilt, 1993/2007

1. Unknown
2. Inside cabins
3. Car deck
4. Car deck (hydraulic platform that can be lowered to divide the car deck in two)
5. Outside and inside cabins, car deck
6. Sauna, hot tubs, swimming pool, outside and inside cabins
7. Cafeteria, children's playroom, driver's club, air seats, games room, information desk, tax-free shops, outside and inside cabins
8. Buffet and a la carte restaurants, tapas bar, pub, conference rooms, casino, night club
9. Discothèque (lower level), conference room, outside and inside cabin, sun deck
10. Discothèque (upper level), conference rooms, outside and inside cabins
11. Sky bar, conference rooms, crew accommodations, sun deck
12. Bridge

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[[Commons: Category:MS Isabella

| MS Isabella

]]

• Viking Line official website for Isabella