Wasa Express

**Wasa Express**
Ship data
flag	Finland
other ship names	Betancuria (2011–2012) ; Thjelvar (2010–2011) ; Rostock (2007–2010) ; Thjelvar (2006–2007) ; Color Traveler (2004–2006) ; Thjelvar (1997–2004) ; Sally Star (1988–1997) ; Travemünde Link (1987–1988 ) ; Travemünde (1981–1987)
Ship type	Ro-ro - Ferry
Callsign	OJQB
home port	Vaasa
Owner	NLC Ferry, Vaasa
Shipyard	Wärtsilä , Helsinki
Build number	432
Order	December 21, 1979
Keel laying	August 6, 1980
Launch	January 30, 1981
Ship dimensions and crew
length	137.42 m ( Lüa ) 124.53 m ( Lpp )
width	22.61 m
Side height	7.50 m
Draft	Max. 4.90 m
measurement	9120 BRT / 4666 NRT
From 1997
length	140.80 m ( Lüa )
width	22.81 m
Draft	Max. 4.95 m
measurement	17046 BRZ / 5049 NRZ
Machine system
machine	4 x Wärtsilä - diesel engine
Machine ; performance	14,866 kW (20,212 hp)
Top ; speed	18.5 kn (34 km / h)
propeller	2 × controllable pitch propellers
Transport capacities
Load capacity	4150 dw
running track meters	1150 m
Permitted number of passengers	850
Pax cabins	60
Vehicle capacity	450 cars
Others
Classifications	DNV GL
IMO no.	8000226

The Wasa Express is a Ro-Ro - Ferry , in the Gulf of Bothnia is used and Vaasa ( Finland ) with Holmsund ( Sweden joins). The ferry connection is one of the northernmost, year-round ferry lines.

The ship, built in the early 1980s as Travemünde , was used over time in the Baltic Sea , the English Channel , the western Mediterranean and in ferry traffic between the Canary Islands .

history

The ship was built under hull number 432 at the Wärtsilä shipyard. The keel of the ship was laid on August 6, 1980 and launched on January 30, 1981. The ship was completed on June 15, 1981. The construction of the ship cost 200 million Danish kroner .

The ship, which sailed under the Danish flag as Travemünde for the Gedser-Travemünde Ruten shipping company on the route between Gedser and Travemünde , was christened on June 17, 1981 in Copenhagen . Godmother was Princess Benedigte of Denmark . The ship replaced the ten-year-old predecessor ship of the same name.

The shipping company, renamed GT-Linien in 1986, went bankrupt in early 1987. The shipping company was sold to the Swedish company Sea-Link, but Travemünde was initially excluded from the takeover in order to serve as security for the creditors of the GT lines. A separate company was founded for this purpose, but the ship continued to be used on the route between Gedser and Travemünde by the GT-Link company founded by Sea-Link. In April 1987 the ship was renamed Travemünde Link .

In December 1988 the ship was sold for 200 million Swedish kronor to a subsidiary of the Swedish Rederi Gotland, which chartered the ship under the flag of the Bahamas to Sally Line. Sally Line used the ship as Sally Star until the connection between Ramsgate and Dunkerque was closed in April 1997 . The ship then came to Silja Line for a few months , which operated the ship, marketed as Wasa Express , between Vaasa and Holmsund.

After the end of the charter, the ship was rebuilt and modernized at the Lloyd shipyard in Bremerhaven in autumn 1997 . From the beginning of 1998, belonging to the Rederi Gotland company continued Destination Gotland that in Thjelvar renamed ship on routes between Visby and Oskarshamn and Visby and Nynäshamn one.

At the end of 2003 the ship was replaced by a new building on the routes to Gotland Island . The Thjelvar was chartered out to Color Line and converted for use in a shipyard in Fredericia at the beginning of 2004 . Color Line used the ship as a color traveler under the flag of Norway between Larvik and Hirtshals or Larvik and Frederikshavn . In 2004 the ship briefly sailed from Larvik to Strömstad . After the end of the charter end of 2006, Rederi Gotland put the back into Thjelvar renamed and is now unemployed ship to .

In 2007 the ship was chartered out to Scandlines for three years . The ship was renamed Rostock and used under the flag of Germany as a pure cargo ferry to strengthen the capacities between Rostock and Gedser. Since the former pier of the ship was occupied by the two Scandlines ferries Prins Joachim and Kronprins Frederik used on the route , the Rostock had to be cleared at the former railway ferry pier. A ramp was built there so that the upper vehicle deck can also be used.

After around a year, Scandlines stopped using the ship in September 2008 as a result of the economic and financial crisis . The ship was initially launched again. In the summer of 2009, Scandlines chartered the ship to the Comarit shipping company , which used it between Almería and Nador . After about a year, it was returned to Rederi Gotland in summer 2010 and re-launched as Thjelvar . In the summer of 2011 it was given to Fred. Olsen Express is chartered out in Spain and used as a Betancuria under the Spanish flag between the Canary Islands Gran Canaria , Fuerteventura and Lanzarote for around a year .

In October 2012 the ship was sold to NLC Ferry in Vaasa for around 4.75 million euros . The shipping company was founded in 2012 by the cities of Umeå and Vaasa after the bankruptcy of RG Linen, which had previously operated the ferry traffic between Vaasa and Holmsund. The ship operates the route as Wasa Express under the flag of Finland .

Technical data and equipment

Stern view of the ship as Travemünde ; The stern ramps , the vehicle deck 5 open at the rear and the crane frame removed later are clearly visible .

The ship is powered by four four-stroke - twelve-cylinder - diesel engines from Wärtsilä (type 12V32) with a total of 14,866 kW power driven. Two motors at a time act on two variable pitch propellers via reduction gears . The ship reaches a speed of around 18 knots . It is equipped with an electrically powered bow thruster .

Two generators are available for generating electricity on board, which are driven by the main engines via power take- offs on the gearboxes. Furthermore, two generators are available, each driven by a four-stroke diesel engine from the manufacturer Wärtsilä (type: 4R32). In addition, an emergency generator was installed, which is powered by a General Motors diesel engine.

The ship has eleven decks . The engine and engine control rooms are located on decks 1 and 2 . There is also a small sauna in the bow area.

Deck 3 and 5 are the continuous vehicle decks. Deck 3 can be loaded and unloaded via a stern ramp on the port side of the ship and a bow door. The entrance in the bow is closed with a bow visor that can be opened upwards . Deck 5 is open at the top in the rear area. It can be loaded and unloaded via a stern ramp on deck 3 on the starboard side, which is followed by a ramp to the higher deck, and with landside ramps via two entrances on both sides of the ship in the bow area. The entrances to the vehicle decks are closed off with watertight bulkheads . Both decks are divided in the middle lengthways. There are three lanes on each side. The access to the decks and various supply and disposal shafts are located in the middle area. Mezzanine decks (deck 4 and deck 6) are suspended above deck 3 and deck 5 . Deck 4 consists of three mezzanine decks on the starboard side of the ship, deck 6 of three mezzanine decks on each side of the ship. The mezzanine decks can be reached via ramps in the ship.

The passenger facilities are located on decks 7 and 8. In the course of renovations, the equipment on both decks was partially changed. On deck 7 were originally u. a. a restaurant and a cafeteria. A third restaurant was set up in the course of renovations. The entrances for passengers traveling without a vehicle and a reception are also located on this deck. Two bars were set up on deck 8 and there were 62 four-bed cabins. The bars were combined into one bar in the course of renovations. The cabins were also rebuilt. Today the ship has 60 cabins, which are furnished as two or four-bed cabins. They offer space for 284 people. A self-service market was located in the rear part of the superstructure on deck 8. When the ship was originally used between Gedser and Travemünde, it was used to sell duty-free goods . To supply the market, there was a storage area for containers above deck 7 , above which there was a crane frame, next to the superstructure. The containers could be handled with the crane in the port. Since the self-service market was no longer needed for the future use of the ship, the scaffolding and the market were removed when the ship was converted in autumn 1997 at the Lloyd shipyard. Deck 8 was extended to the rear by the vacated space and a saloon with seats was set up in the area of the former self-service market. Today there are two separate lounges here. A shop was later set up on deck 7. To improve stability , a ducktail was attached to the stern area of the ship during the shipyard stay in the Lloyd shipyard , which was necessary due to changes in Swedish safety regulations following the sinking of the Estonia in September 1994.

On deck 9 and 10 are the premises for the ship's crew housed on deck 10 and the bridge of the ship. This is closed over the entire width - including the cams . The outdoor areas on deck 9 and 10 are accessible to passengers. There is a sundeck on deck 11.

The capacities of the ship differed in part depending on the mission and the area of travel. Initially it was approved for 1780 passengers and could carry 550 cars or 65 trucks. The Color Line used the ship as a cargo ferry and limited the passenger capacity to 150 people. Fred. Olsen Express marketed the ship with a capacity of 1536 passengers and 440 cars.

The hull of the ship is reinforced with ice ( ice class 1A).

literature

Christian Giesler: Travemünde (III). In: Ferries , No. 4/2012, pp. 4–12 ( online ).
Kalle Id: Wasa Expressillä uumajaan. In: Ulkomatala , No. 4/2014, August 31, 2014, pp. 16-21 ( online ).

Web links

Commons : IMO 8000226 - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

Ship information, Wasaline

Panoramic shots of different areas of the ship , Wasaline

MV Wasa Express , Dover Fery Photos

Travemünde , Simplon - The Passenger Ship Website

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b M / S Travemünde , Facta om Fartyg. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Wasaline , NCL Ferry Oy AB (PDF, 2.8 MB), accessed on October 29, 2018.
↑ Matkustajalaivan hinta 4.75 miljoonaa , Pohjalainen, October 18, 2012, accessed October 29, 2018.
↑ RG Linen konkurssipesän liiketoiminta NLC Ferry , Pohjalainen 26 October 2012, accessed on 29 October 2018th
↑ Wasaline dah drömgräns , Ålands Sjöfart, January 3, 2018, accessed October 29, 2018.
↑ Our Ferry - M / S Wasa Express , Wasaline. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Report of the Investigation into fire on board Ro-Ro Passenger Vessel SALLY STAR on August 25, 1994 , Marine Accident Investigation Branch , accessed on October 29, 2018 (PDF, 2.9 MB)
^ ^A ^b Wasa Express - Restaurants and Bar , Wasaline. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
^ Wasa Express - Cabins , Wasaline. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
^ Wasa Express - Seating Lounge and Business Lounge , Wasaline. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
^ Wasa Express - Shopping , Wasaline. Retrieved October 29, 2018.

[FOF-1] M / S Travemünde , Facta om Fartyg. Retrieved October 29, 2018.

[WL-2] Wasaline , NCL Ferry Oy AB (PDF, 2.8 MB), accessed on October 29, 2018.

[3] Matkustajalaivan hinta 4.75 miljoonaa , Pohjalainen, October 18, 2012, accessed October 29, 2018.

[4] RG Linen konkurssipesän liiketoiminta NLC Ferry , Pohjalainen 26 October 2012, accessed on 29 October 2018th

[5] Wasaline dah drömgräns , Ålands Sjöfart, January 3, 2018, accessed October 29, 2018.

[6] Our Ferry - M / S Wasa Express , Wasaline. Retrieved October 29, 2018.

[MAIB-7] Report of the Investigation into fire on board Ro-Ro Passenger Vessel SALLY STAR on August 25, 1994 , Marine Accident Investigation Branch , accessed on October 29, 2018 (PDF, 2.9 MB)

[Wasa-2-8] A ^b Wasa Express - Restaurants and Bar , Wasaline. Retrieved October 29, 2018.

[9] Wasa Express - Cabins , Wasaline. Retrieved October 29, 2018.

[10] Wasa Express - Seating Lounge and Business Lounge , Wasaline. Retrieved October 29, 2018.

[11] Wasa Express - Shopping , Wasaline. Retrieved October 29, 2018.