MS Romantika[a] is a cruiseferry owned by the Estonian ferry company Tallink. The ship's latest use was on a charter to Holland Norway Lines for the route Kristiansand to Emden, until the ferry company's bankruptcy in 2023.[2][3]

MS Romantika in Stockholm, August 2019
History
Latvia
NameMS Romantika
OwnerTallink
OperatorTallink
Port of registry
RouteTBD
Ordered30 August 2000[1]
BuilderAker Finnyards, Rauma, Finland[1]
Yard number433[1]
Laid down23 May 2001[1]
Launched14 December 2001[1]
Christened14 December 2001[1]
Acquired10 May 2002[1]
In service21 May 2002[1]
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeRomantika-class cruiseferry
Tonnage
  • 40,803 GT
  • 4,500 t DWT
Length192.90 m (632 ft 10 in)
Beam29.00 m (95 ft 2 in)
Draught6.50 m (21 ft 4 in)
Ice class1 A Super[citation needed]
Installed power4 × Wärtsilä 16V32 diesels, combined 26,240 kW (35,190 hp)
Speed22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Capacity
  • 2,500 passengers
  • 2,172 passenger berths
  • 300 cars
  • 1,000 lanemeters

History

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Romantika was built in 2002 by Aker Finnyards, Rauma and she was the first ever newbuilding to be delivered to Tallink. Between 2002 and 2006 the Romantika was used on the Helsinki–Tallinn route, until she was replaced by the new MS Galaxy. After this she was transferred to the Tallinn–Stockholm route, sailing parallel with her sister MS Victoria I.

After the delivery of MS Baltic Queen the Romantika was transferred to the Stockholm–Riga route in May 2009.[4] Simultaneously with this she was changed from Estonian to Latvian registry. When the MS Silja Europa was chartered out from Tallink service in August 2014, the Romantika returned to the Tallinn–Mariehamn–Stockholm route.[1]

In December 2016, with the return of Silja Europa, Tallink reorganized the routes of their ferries and Romantika was transferred to the Stockholm - Riga route from December 12.[5]

From July to September 2021 Romantika was chartered to Morocco's Tanger-Med Port Authority for services between Morocco and Sète in France.[6]

On 13 October 2021, she arrived in Glasgow to provide accommodation for people attending the COP26 summit.[7]

In April 2022, Romantika entered service with Holland Norway Lines on a Kristiansand - Eemshaven routing on charter. This charter was announced on 1 November 2021, and was due to last three years with two one-year extensions.[8][9][10][3] Holland Norway Lines ceased operations on 30 August 2023 due to financial difficulties, and as of that date Romantika was docked in Emden. The charter agreement for Romantika was terminated on 1 September 2023, before the charter agreement's normal expiry date.[11]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ In Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian languages "Romantika" means "Romance"

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Asklander, Micke. "M/S Romantika (2002)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  2. ^ "About HNL".
  3. ^ a b "Netherlands - Norway Startup Secures Tallink Cruiseferry". 3 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Tallink company presentation" (PDF). Tallink. 2008-11-18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
  5. ^ "The archive of Tallink's press releases". Tallink.
  6. ^ Morocco World News. Morocco Charters Two Ferries From Estonia's Tallink.
  7. ^ "COP26: Cruise ship arrives on River Clyde to accommodate summit goers". BBC News. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Eemshaven krijgt vaste veerverbinding met Noorwegen". RTV Noord. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Charter of Romantika". NASDAQ. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  10. ^ "The Vessel".
  11. ^ "Early termination of charter agreement". view.news.eu.nasdaq.com. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
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