M/S Superfast IX

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

M/S Superfast IX is a fast Ro-Pax ferry operated by the Estonian ferry company Tallink on the route Tallinn (Estonia) — Helsinki (Finland) — Rostock (Germany). She was built in 2002 by Howaltswerke Deutsche Werft AG, Kiel, Germany for Superfast Ferries.

In 2001 Superfast Ferries had made a deal with the Swedish government to operate a ferry connection between Södertälje in Sweden and Rostock for ten years, starting from spring 2002. Superfast IX inaugurated this service in January 2002 (interestingly, she started service on 10th January but wasn't officially named until the 11th). The route proved to be phenomenally unprofitable, and already in April of the same year the it was closed down, and the Superfast IX was laid up at the shipyard that had built her. On May of the same year Superfast IX, alongside her sister M/S Superfast X, started a new service for Superfast, connecting Rosyth (Scotland) to Zeebrugge (Belgium). In February 2004 she was rebuilt at Fosen Mekaniske Verksteder, Fosen, Norway. In November 2005 the Superfast IX was moved to Hanko — Rostock route.

In March 2006 Superfast sold their Baltic Sea operations to Tallink. As a result the three Baltic Superfasts were moved from Finnish to Estonian registry, and the route changed to Hanko — Paldiski — Rostock from April 2006 onwards. Calling at Paldiski proved problematic as Estonia was not a meber of the Schengen Treaty, and already in June of the same year the route reverted back to Hanko — Rostock. According to the agreement Tallink could keep the Superfast marketing name until the end of 2007, but the ships' hulls soon sported the texts "Superfast operated by Tallink". From the beginning on the year 2007 the ship's route changed to Tallinn — Helsinki — Rostock, and lost all remaining Superfast logos and hull markings (it was rumoured for a long time that in 2007 the ships would be made a part of Silja Line's fleet, and possibly renamed Finnjet I, II and III, but this did not come to pass).