MS Pearl Seaways
MS Pearl Seaways departing Oslo, Norway (2015).
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| History | |
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| Route: | Copenhagen–Oslo (as of 2009) |
| Builder: | Wärtsilä Marine Turku New Shipyard, Turku, Finland |
| Yard number: | 1297 |
| Laid down: | 27 May 1988 |
| Launched: | 22 October 1988 |
| Acquired: | 18 April 1989 |
| In service: | 24 April 1989 |
| Identification: | IMO number: 8701674 |
| Status: | In service |
| General characteristics (as Athena) | |
| Type: | Cruiseferry |
| Tonnage: | |
| Length: | 176.60 m (579 ft 5 in) |
| Beam: | 29.00 m (95 ft 2 in) |
| Draught: | 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) |
| Ice class: | 1A Super |
| Installed power: | |
| Speed: | 21.0 knots (38.9 km/h; 24.2 mph) |
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| General characteristics (as Langkapuri Star Aquarius) | |
| Tonnage: | 40,022 GT |
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| Notes: | Otherwise the same as above |
| General characteristics (as Pearl Seaways) | |
| Tonnage: | 40,039 GT |
| Length: | 178.40 m (585 ft 4 in) |
| Beam: | 29.61 m (97 ft 2 in) |
| Draught: | 6.22 m (20 ft 5 in) |
| Depth: | 16.95 m (55 ft 7 in) |
| Speed: | 21.2 knots (39.3 km/h; 24.4 mph) |
| Capacity: |
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| Notes: | Otherwise the same as above |
MS Pearl Seaways is a cruiseferry owned by DFDS Seaways and operated on their Copenhagen–Oslo service. She was built in 1989 by Wärtsilä Marine, Turku, for Rederi AB Slite as MS Athena for use in Viking Line traffic. Between 1993 and 2001 she sailed as MS Langkapuri Star Aquarius. From 2001 to 2011 she sailed as MS Pearl of Scandinavia.
Pearl Seaways has a sister ship, Star Pisces.
In the latter half of the 1980s owners of the rival shipping companies Viking Line and Silja Line competed heavily for dominance on routes connecting Finland to Sweden, with 11 new builds delivered between 1985 and 1991. At this time there was also a strong belief in growing of the cruise passenger market.
In response to challenge from the other Viking Line partner SF Line and Silja's owners, Rederi AB Slite ordered two new builds from Wärtsilä Turku shipyard. The first of these was to be called MS Athena, and she was planned to replace the aging MS Diana II on the freight-dominant Naantali–Kapellskär service. The ship was designed by Per Dockson. The authorities of Kapellskär failed to modernise their harbour to accommodate such a large ship, and when delivered in April 1989 the ship (which at the time of delivery was the largest cruiseferry in the world) was set on cruise traffic between and Mariehamn, replacing the aged MS Apollo III. Additional public spaces, such as an "amusement park" and a disco were built on her cardeck. Part of the cardeck was also used as a parking space for cruise passengers who came to Stockholm with their own cars.
Apart from a fire in one of the cabins in May 1989, the Athena's service with Viking Line proved to be uneventful. In spring 1993 she made a test cruise from Stockholm to Riga. Unfortunately at the same time her owners were experiencing notable financial difficulties and were forced to declare bankruptcy in April 1993. Athena continued serving with Viking Line until August of the same year, when she was laid up in Stockholm awaiting sale. DFDS and P&O Ferries were both interested in her, and it was believed that the latter would be her new owner. In the end Malaysia-based Star Cruises made a bid their competitors couldn't match.
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Wikipedia