MS Mega Andrea

M/S Silja Festival
Route:	Turku—Mariehamn/Långnäs—Stockholm
Builder:	Wärtsilä, Helsinki, Finland
Owners:	1986-1991: Effoa 1991-1992: EffJohn 1992-present: Silja Line
Entered service:	1986 as Wellamo 1992 as Silja Festival
Homeport:	Stockholm, Sweden
Tonnage:	33818 GRT (as built) 34414 GRT (currently)
Length:	168,00 meters
Width:	27,60 meters
Depth:	6,50 meters
Propulsion:	4 × Wärtsilä-SEMT-Pielstick 12PC 2-6V diesels combined 26200 kW
Speed:	22 knots
Passenger capacity:	2000 (as built) 1886 (currently)
Passenger beds:	1625 (as built) 1858 (currently)
Cabins:	588
Car capacity:	400 (as built) 300 (cvurrently)
Trailers:	60
Ice class:	1 A Super
Sister ships:	M/S Color Festival
Status:	In service

M/S Silja Festival is a cruiseferry owned by Tallink Silja AB, the Swedish subsidiary of AS Tallink Grupp and operated under the brand "Silja Line" on a route connecting Turku, Finland to Stockholm, Sweden via Mariehamn/Långnäs. She was built in 1986 by Wärtsilä Helsinki, Finland, for Effoa as M/S Wellamo for use on Silja Line traffic on the same route she sails today, and rebuilt 1992 at Lloyds Werft, Bremerhaven, Germany.

History

In January 1986 M/S Wellamo was delivered to Effoa, one of the owners of Silja Line consortium at that time. The ship, named after the goddess of the sea in Finnish mythology, was put on the Stockholm—Mariehamn—Turku route. In the summer of 1990, she briefly served Helsinki—Stockholm, due to the fact that one of Silja's new ships for that route, Silja Serenade was not yet complete and the old ship Finlandia was due to be delivered to her new owners DFDS. In 1992, Wellamo was rebuilt at Lloyds Werft, Bremerhaven, Germany and subsequently renamed Silja Festival.

From March 20 to May 23, 1993 she trafficked Vaasa—Umeå, still for Silja Line. When Silja Line began collaboration with Euroway in June 1993, Silja Festival was added as a second ship for their Malmö—Travemünde—Lübeck -route. A few months later the route was extended to Copenhagen.

After the Euroway project terminated in April 1994, Silja Festival was moved back to the Kvarken to operate from Vaasa to Umeå and Sundsvall. Around this time Silja Line made an agreement to sell Silja Festival or her sistership Silja Karneval to Norwegian ferry operator Color Line. Although Silja Karneval was the ship finally sold to Color, the new owners had presumed they'd be getting the Festival and had made promotional posters for their new ship accordingly. As a result the Silja Karneval was confusingly renamed Color Festival.

In September 2, 1994, Silja Festival was moved from Vaasa to serve the Helsinki—Tallinn route. For the summer of 1995, (June 26 to August 14) she served Vaasa—Sundsvall again, then returned to Helsinki—Tallinn. On April 5, 1997, Silja Line switched the ship's flag from Finnish to Swedish and put her back on Stockholm—Mariehamn—Turku service.

In April 2007 Silja Line's new owners Tallink reported that in summer 2008 the Silja Festival will be replaced by M/S Galaxy on the Turku—Mariehamn—Stockholm service. Whether she will stay in Tallink Silja fleet after that point or be sold is uncertain, but it is commonly presumed she will be moved to Tallink's Stockholm—Riga service where she will replace M/S Vana Tallinn.

Decks

Engine room, cinema
Engine room, Tourist II-class cabins, sauna, swimming pool and hot tubs
Car deck
1. Car platform, can be lowered hydraulically to divide the car deck in two giving space for two layers of passenger cars
Seaside, Tourist I and Tourist I S-class cabins, Lobby shop, Siljaland children's playroom, information desk, boarding, crew accommodations
Silja, Seaside, Tourist I and Tourist I S-class cabins, crew accommodations
Suites, Silja, Seaside, Tourist I and Tourist I S-class cabins, crew accommodations
Dancing Palace night club (level 1), Captain's Grill restaurant, Café Martim, Sailor's Pub, Buffet Veranda
Dancing Palace night club (level 2), casino, conference rooms, tax-free shop, perfumerie
Panorama bar, crew accommodations, sundeck
Crew accommodations
Bridge

External links