MS ''Victoria I'' has been chartered by the
Scottish Government to provide temporary accommodation to those fleeing the
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
in
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. The vessel is docked in the port of
Leith
Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world.
The earliest ...
, in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
. The ship, which has been chartered until January 2023 and will provide people with accommodation until they secure somewhere to stay longer term, took in its first Ukrainian residents in July 2022.
The ''Victoria I'' was formerly a
cruiseferry
A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship and a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while oth ...
operated by the
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
n
ferry company
Tallink
Tallink () is an Estonian shipping company operating Baltic Sea cruiseferries and ropax ships from Estonia to Finland, Estonia to Sweden to Sweden and Finland to Sweden. It is the largest passenger and cargo shipping company in the Baltic Sea ...
on a route connecting
Stockholm,
Sweden to
Tallinn
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...
, Estonia via
Mariehamn,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. She was built in 2004 by
Aker Finnyards,
Rauma. Although the ship's official name is ''Victoria I'', she is often referred to as ''Victoria'', without the number. This is also the name displayed on top of her superstructure, whereas the name is written in full form on the hull.
Between 18 November and 20 November 2005 the ''Victoria I'' made two one-day cruises from
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
to Tallinn, the latter of which was a re-election campaign cruise for the Finnish president
Tarja Halonen
Tarja Kaarina Halonen (; born 24 December 1943) is a Finnish politician who served as the 11th president of Finland, and the first woman to hold the position, from 2000 to 2012. She first rose to prominence as a lawyer with the Central Organisa ...
. The use of an Estonian-flagged ship by the president provoked protests from the
Finnish Seamen's Union
The Finnish Seafarers' Union (FSU, formerly known as Finnish Seamen's Union; fi, Suomen Merimies-Unioni, SMU) is a trade union representing maritime and inland waterway transport workers in Finland.
The Helsinki Seamen's and Firemen's Union was ...
.
The ''Victorias sister ship, the ferry ''Romantika'' has been chartered by
Holland Norway Lines to operate a new route between
Kristiansand
Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporati ...
in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
and
Eemshaven
Eemshaven (; en, Ems Harbor) is a seaport in the province of Groningen in the north of the Netherlands.
In 1968, the Dutch government declared the Ems estuary ( Eemsmond) to be an economic key region. One of the key developments for the regi ...
in
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
See also
*
Largest ferries of Europe
In terms of ''gross tonnage'', the largest ferry in the world is the 75,156-ton '' Color Magic'', built by Aker Finnyards of Finland, and operated by Color Line on the route between Oslo in Norway and Kiel in Germany. Its sister ship '' Color Fant ...
References
External links
Tallink silja website for MS ''Victoria''
Victoria I at marinetraffic.com
Ferries of Estonia
Ships built in Rauma, Finland
Cruiseferries
2003 ships
{{ferry-stub