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Silja Line Header Page
 
 
Oy Siljavarustamo - Ab Siljarederiet Ab
 
 
This page is the first in a series devoted to postcards and photographs of ships working under the Silja Line banner. In many cases, the ships will be dealt with in more detail on pages devoted to the subsidiary companies, but these pages give an overview of Silja operations. Other Silja Line Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5 - Seawind Line.
 
An alphabetical list of ships shown on this page is shown below. The Table beneath gives links to complete history pages on selected individual ships.
 
 
The Finland SS Co was formed in 1893, and the Bore SS Co in 1897, and the two lines first co-operated on Finland-Sweden service in 1904. A new agreement was made in 1918, which also included Rederi AB Svea of Stockholm. The co-operation between the three companies continued to work successfully, and new ships were delivered in the 1950s. These were still conventional passenger ships, with side-loading arrangements for a small number of cars. The capacity of these ships soon proved to be inadequate, and a joint fourth company was formed, the Silja Line (Oy Siljavarustamo or Ab Siljarederiet Ab) in 1957. Whilst operations began with the elderly Silja, two purpose-built modern car ferries, the Skandia (1) and Nordia were delivered for the Turku/Åbo-Mariehamn-Norrtälje route in 1962 and 1963. Despite these developments, each company added a further traditional ship in the 1960s, the Bore, Svea Jarl and Ilmatar, for service on the original routes from Stockholm to Turku and Helsinki. All subsequent deliveries and acquisitions were true car ferries, Silja Line receiving the Holmia, Fennia and Botnia, between 1965 and 1967.
 
In 1970, a closer agreement was reached between the three founding companies, and Silja Line became became a traffic coordinating and marketing unit. The ships of the three fleets Finland SS Co, Bore SS Co and Rederi AB Svea were united under the famous seals' head logo, and the remaining ships of the fourth company Oy Siljavarustamo/ Ab Siljarederiet Ab were distributed amongst the other three. Fennia joined Svea, Botnia joined Bore. and the new Floria joined the Finland fleet. Each carried their owners funnel colours, but were united by the Silja Line hull markings. Up until this time, the Helsinki route had been summer-only, but began all year operation on the delivery of two French-built sisters the Aallotar (3) and Svea Regina in 1972, owned by Finland SS Co and Svea respectively. A different Finnish-built ship, Bore I, joined the Bore fleet the following year. Traffic growth was such, that three larger French-built sisters, Svea Corona (1), Wellamo (3) and Bore Star replaced the 1972/73 ships after only three years in 1975/76. In 1975, the Swedish parent of Johnson Line took a 50% interest in Svea. Bore withdrew from passenger services at the Silja Line group at the end of the decade.
 
When the 1975 sisters in turn needed replacement with larger tonnage, two ships, the Finlandia (2) and Silvia Regina were delivered to EFFOA (Finland SS Co) and Svea in 1981. In the same year, Johnson Line took on the remaining 50% share in Svea, and the Silvia Regina swapped her black and white Svea funnel colours for those of Johnson Line. Johnson's ferry interests from Svea extended beyond Silja Line, including part shares in TT-Saga Line and SFL, but these were sold in soon afterwards. When the Viking Line partner Rederi Sally AB ran into difficulties, Johnson Line and Effoa formed a joint company Rederi AB Effjohn to acquire the majority of the Sally shares in 1987, buying the rest the following year. They were forced to sell their stake in Viking Line to the remaining partners Slite and SF-Line, but retained the Wasa Line service, Sally UK, and Sally cruise operations in the Baltic with Sally Albatross, and Commodore Cruises in the Caribbean. Johnson Line funnel colours disappeared on Silja Line ships in 1992, when ownership of both Johnson and Effoa ships passed to Oy Silja Line. In 1999, 51% of Silja Line was acquired by Sea Containers.
 
 
Silja Line Pages:-
Silja Line - Header Page - This Page!
Silja Line - Page 1 - The Early Years 1957-60
Silja Line - Page 2 - First Generation Car Ferries 1961-70
Silja Line - Page 3 - Second Generation Car Ferries 1971-80
Silja Line - Page 4 - Third Generation Car Ferries 1981-
Silja Line - Page 5 - Seawind Line
Bore Line - Höyrylaiva Oy Bore/Ångfartygs Ab Bore
Finland SS Co - Finska Ångfartygs Ab
Rederi AB Svea
 
Associated Pages:-
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
 
Ships on all Silja Line Pages:-
Aallotar (2) (1959-1971)
Aallotar (3) (1972-1978)
Birger Jarl (1959-1971)
Bore (1960-1976)
Bore I (1973-1980) - later Skandia (2)
Bore III (1959-1971)
Bore Star (1976-1980) - later Silja Star, Wasa Queen
Botnia (1967-1975)
Fennia (1966-1984, 1993-2001)
Finlandia (2) (1981-1990)
Finnjet (1986- )
Floria (1970-1975)
Holmia (1) (1965-1971)
Holmia (2) (1971-1973)
Ilmatar (1964-1973)
Nordia (1962-1974)
Regin (1960)
Regina (1978) - ex-Svea Regina
Sally Albatross (1992-1994) - later Silja Opera
Silja (1957-1961)
Silja Europa (1993- )
Silja Festival (1992- ) - ex-Wellamo
Silja Karneval (1992-1994) - ex-Svea
Silja Opera (2002- ) - ex-Sally Albatross
Silja Scandinavia (1994-1997, on charter)
Silja Serenade (1990- )
Silja Star (1) (1980-1986) - ex-Bore Star - later Wasa Queen
Silja Star (2) (1990, on charter)
Silja Symphony (1991- )
Silvia (1972-1973)
Silvia Regina (1981-1991)
Skandia (1) (1961-1974)
Skandia (2) (1980-1983) - ex-Bore I
Svea (1985-1992) - later Silja Karneval
Svea Corona (1) (1975-1984)
Svea Corona (2) (1984-1985, on charter)
Svea Jarl (1962-1976)
Svea Regina (1972-1978) - later Regina
Warjo (1957-1964)
Wasa Express/Sally Star (1997, on charter)
Wasa Jubilee/Stena Invicta (1998, on charter)
Wasa Queen (1993- ) - ex-Bore Star, Silja Star
Wasa Sun/Moby Vincent (1993- )
Wellamo (3) (1975-1981)
Wellamo (4) (1986-1992) - later Silja Festival
 
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Table of Ship Histories
Name
Other names
 Built
 Bore (2)  Borea, Kristina Regina
 1960
 Bore I  Skandia, Stena Baltica, Ilich, Anastasia V, Windward Pride, Baltic Kristina
 1973
 Bore Star  Finnpartner, Silja Star, Orient Express, Eurosun, Orient Sun, Wasa Queen
 1975
 Fennia  Casino Express
 1966
 Finlandia (2)  Queen of Scandinavia
 1981
 Finnjet  
 1977
 Floria  Villa de Agaete, Carmen del Mare
 1970
 Ilmatar  Viking Princess, Palm Beach Princess
 1964
 Sally Albatross  Viking Saga, Leeward, SuperStar Taurus, Silja Opera
 1980
 Sally Star  Travemünde, Travemünde Link, Wasa Express (4), Thjelar
 1974
 Silja Opera  Viking Saga, Sally Albatross, Leeward, SuperStar Taurus
 1980
 Silja Europa  Europa
 1993
 Silja Festival  Wellamo (4)
 1986
 Silja Karneval  Svea (2), Color Festival
 1985
 Silja Scandinavia  Frans Suell, Gabriella
 1992
 Silja Serenade  
 1990
 Silja Star (1)  Bore Star, Finnpartner, Orient Express, Eurosun, Orient Sun, Wasa Queen
 1975
 Silja Star (2)  Viking Sally, Wasa King, Estonia
 1980
 Silja Symphony  
 1991
 Silvia Regina  Stena Britannica (2), Stena Saga
 1981
 Skandia  Bore I, Stena Baltica, Ilich, Anastasia V, Windward Pride, Baltic Kristina
 1973
 Svea (2)  Silja Karneval, Color Festival
 1985
 Svea Corona (1)  Sundancer, Pegasus, Ionian Express
 1975
 Svea Corona (2)  Wellamo (3), Dana Gloria, King of Scandinavia, Color Viking, Jupiter
 1975
 Svea Regina  Regina, Odysseus Elytis, Scandinavian Sky, Tallink
 1972
 Wasa Queen  Bore Star, Finnpartner, Silja Star, Orient Express, Eurosun, Orient Sun
 1975
 Wellamo (3)  Dana Gloria, Svea Corona (2), King of Scandinavia, Color Viking, Jupiter
 1975
 Wellamo (4)  Silja Festival
 1986






Silja Line - Page 1 - Silja Line - Page 2 - Silja Line - Page 3 - Silja Line - Page 4
Silja Line - Page 5 - Seawind Line
Bore Line - Finska Ångfartygs Ab - Rederi AB Svea
Ferry Postcards - Cruise Ship Postcards - Ocean Liner Postcards
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