MS Diana II

History


Name:	1979: Diana II av Slite 1979–1994: Diana II 1994: Vironia 1994–1996: Mare Balticum 1996–2007: Meloodia 2007–2013: ARV 1 2013 onwards: Bluefort
Owner:	1979–1989: Rederi AB Slite 1989–1994: PK Finans 1994–2002: Nordström & Thulin 2002–2007: Tallink 2007–2013: Equinox Offshore Accommodation 2013 onwards: Highclere
Operator:	1979–1992: Rederi AB Slite 1992–1994: TR-Line 1994–1996: EstLine 1996–2006: Tallink 2006–2007: Baleària
Port of registry:	1979–1992: Slite, Sweden 1992–1994: , Germany 1994–2007: Tallinn, Estonia 2008–2013: Nassau, Bahamas 2013 onwards: Majuro, Marshall Islands
Builder:	Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany
Yard number:	592
Launched:	31 March 1979
Acquired:	9 June 1979
In service:	14 June 1979
Identification:	Call sign: V7CC4 IMO number: 7816874 MMSI number: 538005239
Status:	In service
General characteristics (as built)
Tonnage:	11,671 GRT 2,400 DWT
Length:	137.01 m (449 ft 6 in)
Beam:	24.21 m (79 ft 5 in)
Draught:	5.50 m (18 ft 1 in)
Installed power:	4 × MAN 8L40/45 17,650 kW (combined)
Speed:	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Capacity:	1,900 passengers 867 berths 555 cars
General characteristics (as Meloodia)
Tonnage:	17,955 GT
Length:	138.90 m (455 ft 9 in)
Capacity:	1,700 passengers 826 berths 480 cars
General characteristics (as Bluefort)
Tonnage:	17,914 GT 6,074 NT 2,420 DWT
Length:	141.7 m (464 ft 11 in)
Beam:	27.8 m (91 ft 2 in)
Draught:	5.75 m (18 ft 10 in)

MS Bluefort is a car/passenger ferry owned by the Cayman Islands-based company Highclere, under conversion into an Accommodation and Repair Vessel thus also known as (ARV). She was built in 1979 by Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany as Diana II av Slite for Rederi AB Slite for use in Viking Line's traffic. She has also sailed under the names Diana II, Vironia, Mare Balticum, Meloodia and ARV 1.

Rederi AB Slite had great success with their first generation of car and passenger ferries servicing between Sweden and Finland and by the late 1970s the growing market demanded larger ships. Slite's first route within the Viking Line marketing company had been that between Kapellskär and Naantali but this route had since been clogged with Viking Line ships and received competition from Silja Line's similar service between Norrtälje and Turku.

As a first step to find new markets, Rederi AB Slite had sold their merely six years old Apollo in 1976 and replaced her with the older Apollo III, making 24-hour cruises between and Mariehamn. The company still served the Kapellskär—Naantali route with their other ship, the 1972-built Diana. But with four other Viking Line ships competing for the same cars and passengers on that route, Slite still needed to break new grounds to keep themselves profitable.

In 1974, the two other Viking Line parters started operating the Stockholm—Turku route which proved to be quite profitable. In preparation for the new ten-year agreement of collaboration between the Viking Line partners to be settled in 1980, Slite made the decision to try to push out Rederi Ab Sally from the Stockholm—Turku route with a newbuilding that would outmatch their current ship there, the Viking 4.

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