MS Victoria I

MS Victoria I has been chartered by the Scottish Government to provide temporary accommodation to those fleeing the war in Ukraine. The vessel is docked in the port of Leith, in Edinburgh. 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.[1][2]

MS Victoria I arriving in Tallinn, May 2007
History
Name	Victoria I
Owner	Tallink
Operator	Tallink
Port of registry	Tallinn, Estonia
Route	Tallinn–Mariehamn–Stockholm route So far 20.4 Until Helsinki - Tallinn
Ordered	15 October 2002
Builder	Aker Finnyards, Rauma, Finland
Yard number	434
Laid down	11 March 2003
Launched	16 October 2003
Acquired	9 March 2004
In service	21 March 2004
Identification	Call sign: ESRP IMO number: 9281281 MMSI number: 276519000
Status	In service
General characteristics
Tonnage	40,975 GT 4,500 DWT
Length	193.80 meters
Beam	29.00 meters
Draught	6.50 meters
Ice class	1 A Super
Propulsion	4 × Wärtsilä 16V32 26,240 kW (combined)
Speed	22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Capacity	2,500 passengers 2,252 passenger beds 400 cars 1,000 lanemeters
Notes	Sister ship to MS Romantika

The Victoria I was formerly a cruiseferry operated by the Estonian ferry company Tallink on a route connecting Stockholm, Sweden to Tallinn, Estonia via Mariehamn, Finland. 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 to Tallinn, the latter of which was a re-election campaign cruise for the Finnish president Tarja Halonen. The use of an Estonian-flagged ship by the president provoked protests from the Finnish Seamen's Union.

The Victoria's sister ship, the ferry Romantika has been chartered by Holland Norway Lines to operate a new route between Kristiansand in Norway and Eemshaven in Netherlands.