ERA OF THE
SUPERFERRIES Russell Plummer looks back at ferry developments as bigger ships became the norm during a period of vessel growth that began in the Baltic in the 1980s, before spreading around the world.
T
here are now more than 25 ferries in excess of 40,000gt in regular operation on routes across the world, eight of them on services from ports in Britain and Ireland, with their ranks due to swell over the next three years by some from nearly 30 newly built vessels, including four whose tonnage easily exceeds 60,000. It was Baltic trend-setters Viking Line who originally raised the bar when looking to the Wärtsilä yard at Turku,
Finland to complete the 37,799gt Mariella for their ‘Capital Cities’ route between Helsinki and Stockholm in 1985, with 37,583gt sister Olympia following a year later. They were owned, respectively, by Viking Line partners SF Line of Mariehamn and Rederi AB Slite, who carried on after the original third Viking partner, Rederi AB Sally, left the group. Mariella became the world’s largest ferry, making her maiden sailing on 17 May 1985. In the first 12 months
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of service she never sailed with fewer than 1,000 passengers. Olympia joined her on 28 May 1986, the pair each offering 2,477 berths in 841 cabins for overnight crossings in either direction. The ships’ catering facilities included massive buffet restaurants, which could seat 556 passengers. Mariella remains a firm favourite 35 years later, still plying the same waters for Viking Line, with calls en route between Stockholm and Helsinki at Åland Islands capital Mariehamn. Olympia
was taken on charter by P&O Ferries and, from 1993 until the route closed in autumn 2010, linked Portsmouth with Bilbao or Santander in Northern Spain as Pride of Bilbao. She returned to the Baltic for a role in a cruise-ferry operation from Stockholm to St Petersburg via Helsinki and Tallinn as SPL Princess Anastasia for what is now a joint venture between St Peter Line and Italian operator Moby. Viking Line’s continued investment quickly boosted passenger carryings and did
