Belorussiya class cruiseferries
Delphin in Helsinki South Harbour, May 2009
|
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Wärtsilä Turku Shipyard, Turku, Finland |
| Operators: | Numerous |
| Built: | 1975–1976 |
| In service: | 1975–present |
| Completed: | 5 |
| Active: | 4 |
| Retired: | 1 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type: | cruiseferry |
| Tonnage: |
|
| Length: | 156.27 m (512 ft 8 in) |
| Beam: | 22.05 m (72.34 ft) |
| Draught: | 5.90 m (19.36 ft) |
| Depth: | 16.31 m (53.51 ft) |
| Decks: | 9 |
| Ice class: | ICE-C |
| Installed power: | |
| Propulsion: | Two propellers |
| Speed: | 21.50 kn (39.82 km/h) |
| Capacity: |
|
| Crew: | 216 |
The Belorussiya class cruiseferries (sometimes also referred to as the Gruziya class) were built by Wärtsilä Turku Shipyard, Finland in 1975–1976 for the Black Sea Shipping Company, Soviet Union. The five ships in the class were originally used in ferry service around the Black Sea. During the 1980s all ships in the class were rebuilt into cruise ships. During the end of the 1990s all ships in the class were sold to other operators. As of 2008, at least four ships in this class were in service. The effects of the new SOLAS regulations that came into effect in 2010 remain unknown.
During the early 1970s, the Black Sea Shipping Company of the Soviet Union decided to order five cruiseferries to be used on domestic traffic around the Black Sea. Instead of having the ships built domestically or ordering them from Comecon member states, the new ships were ordered from the Wärtsilä shipyards in neutral Finland.
The Belorussiya class ships were built to the same standards of technology and passenger comfort as the cruiseferries built in the western world at the time. They were also amongst the largest cruiseferries of their time, surpassing the largest cruiseferries built in the west at the same time (MS Tor Britannia and MS Tor Scandinavia) in terms of gross register tonnage.
When the Belorussiya class ships entered service, it soon turned out their car-carrying capacity was too small in comparison with their passenger-carrying capacity. Due to their high standards of passenger accommodation, it was decided that instead of rebuildings the ships with larger car-decks, they would be converted into cruise ships with minimal car-carrying facilities. Between 1981 and 1988 all ships in the class were rebuilt at West German or British shipyards, with the car decks built in with cabins and additional public spaces, and the forward superstructure slightly expanded.
...
Wikipedia