Owner Bute Maritime Length 146 m Builder Landskrona | Yard number 278 Draft 5.71 m | |
 | ||
Name 1980–1990 Visby
1990–1990 Felicity
1990–1997 Stena Felicity
1997–2003 Visby
2003–2003 Visborg
2003–2015 Scandinavia
2015 onwardsRigel II Operator 1980–1988 Rederi AB Gotland
1988–1990 Gotlandslinjen
1990–1991 Sealink British Ferries
1991–1993 Sealink Stena Line
1993–1996 Stena Sealink Line
1996–1997 Stena Line
1997–2003 Destination Gotland
2003–2015 Polferries
2015 onwards Ventouris Ferries Port of registry 1980–2003 Visby, Sweden
2003–2015 Nassau, Bahamas
2015 onwards Limassol, Cyprus Identification Call sign 5BGR4
IMO number 7826788
MMSI number 209077000 | ||
The Scandinavia was a cruiseferry owned and operated by Polish shipping company Polferries. The vessel sailed overnight between the Polish city of Gdańsk and Nynäshamn in Sweden. The Scandinavia is the first of two sister ships built. The second vessel currently operates for SNAV as the SNAV Toscana.
History
The Scandinavia was launched in January 1980 as the Visby for Rederi AB Gotland. She was the first of two identical ships built by Öresundsvarvet in Landskrona.
The Visby entered service between Gotland and the Swedish mainland ports of Nynäshamn and Oskarshamn. In 1987 the contract to run ferry services to Gotland was awarded to Gotlandslinjen. The Visby was charted to the new operator until replaced by the Nord Gotlandia in 1990.
In 1990 the Visby was chartered to United Kingdom based ferry operator Sealink British Ferries for service between Fishguard and Rosslare. Following a major refit in Tilbury the vessel entered service in March 1990 as the Felicity. She remained the largest ferry on the Irish Sea until the arrival of the Isle of Innisfree in 1995. The Felicity was renamed Stena Felicity in 1991 following the acquisition of Sealink British Ferries by Stena Line.
The Felicity's cinema was on one of the lowest deck, and close to the centre of the vessel between port and starboard, fore and aft. Adjacent were separate male and female saunas with jacuzzis. Either was an ideal place to cross the St George's Channel in stormy weather because, being so low down and close to the centre of the ship, the rough sea state had very little effect. As there were few customers for the saunas and jacuzzis, the staff facilitated couples in using a single sauna and jacuzzi.
In 1997 the charter of the Stena Felicity ended. Her place on the Fishguard route was taken by the Koningin Beatrix. Following a rebuild in Germany, the vessel re-entered Gotland service in 1998 under her original name of Visby. In 2003 the Visby was renamed Visborg to release her name for a new vessel under construction in China.
In 2003 she was sold to Polferries and renamed Scandinavia for service between Gdansk and Nynäshamn.
Last trip between Nynäshamn and Gdansk 8 May 2015
Sold to Ventouris Ferries and will be renamed to Rigel II