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Destination Gotland
 
 
This page is one of a series devoted to postcards of the ferry companies which have served the island of Gotland. Separate pages show the ferries of Rederi AB Gotland and Gotlandslinjen. Rederi AB Gotland provided services to the Gotland for an unbroken run of 122 years up to 1987, when the operating rights passed to Nordström & Thulin subsidiary Gotlandslinjen. Following the Estonia disaster (owned by another Nordström & Thulin subsidiary Estline) the parent company announced that it would abandon pasenger ferries, and Gotland services have reverted back to the original company, now trading as Destination Gotland. Originally Destination Gotland was 40% owned by Silja, but since 1998 ownership is wholly Rederi AB Gotland.
 
An alphabetical list of ships covered on this page is shown below. The Table beneath gives links to complete postcard history pages on selected individual ships. Below the table are official postcards of the fleet in alphabetical order.
 
 
Ships on This Page:-
Gotland (6) - 1999-2003 (later: Gotlandia)
Gotland (7) - 2003-
Gotlandia (2) - 2003- (ex-Gotland (6))
Gotlandia II - 2006-
Patricia Olivia - 1998
Thjelvar (4) -1997-2003
Visby (4) - 1997-2003
Visby (5) - 2003-
 
Associated Pages:-
Gotland - Page 1 - Gotland Passenger Perries 1866-1962
Gotland - Page 2 - Gotland Car Ferries 1962-1987
Gotlandslinjen - Ran Gotland services 1987-1998
Sally Line (UK)
Stena Line
Ferry Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
 
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Table of Complete Ship Histories

Name

Other names

 Built
 Thjelvar (4)  Travemünde, Travemünde Link, Sally Star, Wasa Express

 1981
 Visby (4)  Felicity, Stena Felicity, Visborg, Scandinavia

 1980
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Destination Gotland Fleet List
 
 
Visby (4) (Destination Gotland: 1997-2003)
Visborg (Destination Gotland: 2003)
 
Visby was built in Landskrona, Sweden, in 1980 for Rederi AB Gotland. When the Gotland franchise passed to Gotlandslinjen in 1987, she was chartered to them until 1990, when she was chartered to Sealink for service between Fishguard-Rosslare, and renamed Felicity. She was soon renamed Stena Felicity. In 1997 she was returned to Rederi AB Gotland, and re-entered Gotland service in 1998 under original name Visby. In 2003 she was renamed Visborg to release her name for the new Visby (5). Later she was sold to Polska Zegluga Baltyska and renamed Scandinavia for Polferries' Gdansk-Nynäshamn service.
 
A complete history of this ship is available on this link.
 
 
Official postcard 8076 of Visby in Destination Gotland colours.
 
 
 
Official postcard 8067 25958 of Visby in Destination Gotland colours.
 
 
 
Visborg at Nynäshamn, 9th February 2003.
Photo: © Frank Lose.
Scan: Fakta om Fartyg.
 
 
 
Visborg at Visby, 28th March 2003.
Photo: © Micke Asklander.
Scan: Fakta om Fartyg.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Thjelvar
(Destination Gotland: 1997-2003)
 
Thjelvar was built in Helsinki as the Travemünde, for Gedser-Travemünde Ruten of Denmark, in 1981. In 1986 the company's name was changed to GT-Linien, and Travemünde was renamed Travemünde Link. The company name was changed again in 1987, to GT-Link. In 1988, Travemünde Link was purchased by Rederi AB Gotland, but remaned in service with GT-Ruten. Later in 1988, she was chartered to Sally Ferries for service as the Sally Star between Ramsgate-Dunkirk. In 1997, she was transferred to Silja Line for use between Vaasa and Umeå, under the marketing name Wasa Express, although the name was not officially changed. She entered Destination Gotland service later the same year as Thjelvar.
 
A complete history of this ship is available on this link.
 
 
Official postcard 8068 25959 of Thjelvar in Destination Gotland colours.
Photo: Roland Hejdstrom
 
 
 
Official postcard 8077 of Thjelvar in Destination Gotland colours.
 
 
 
Thjelvar at Visby, 16th August 2001.
Photo: © Sören Lund Hviid.
Scan: Fakta om Fartyg.
 
 
Photo: © Sören Lund Hviid.
Scan: Fakta om Fartyg.
 
 
Photo: © Sören Lund Hviid.
Scan: Fakta om Fartyg.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Patricia Olivia
(Destination Gotland: 1998)
 
Patricia Olivia was built in 1992 by InCat Ltd, Tasmania, for Buquebus International, Montevideo. During the summers of 1996 and 1997, she was chartered to Nordström & Thulin, Visby, for Gotlandslinjen service between Nynäshamn-Visby. In 1998 she was chartered to Rederi AB Gotland for destination gotland traffic between Nynäshamn-Visby.
 
Official postcard 8078 of Patricia Olivia in Destination Gotland colours.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gotland (6) (1999-2003)
Gotlandia (2) (2003- )
 
HSC Gotland was built in France in 1999. She is 112m long and carries 700 passengers and 140 cars at 35 knots. She was renamed Gotlandia in 2003.
 
 
Official postcard 8069 of HSC Gotland.
Photo: Roland Hejdstrom
 
 
 
 
 
 
Visby (5)
(Destination Gotland: 2003- )
 
28600grt - 195.80m long - 50000kW - 28.5 knots - 1500 passengers - 300 berths - 1600 lanemetres
 
Visby (5) was built Guangzhou Shipyard International Co. Ltd, China for Rederi Ab Gotland. She entered service with Destination Gotland in March 2003 between Visby-Oskarshamn/Nynäshamn.
 
 
Official Rederi Ab Gotland photographs of the naming ceremony of Visby (5).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Official postcard of Visby (5).
 
 
 
Enlarged image of the ship from the official postcard of Visby (5) shown above.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gotland (7)
(Destination Gotland: 2003- )
 
28600grt - 195.80m long - 50000kW - 28.5 knots - 1500 passengers - 300 berths - 1600 lanemetres
 
Gotland (7), a sistership to Visby (5), was delivered in December 2003.
 
 
Official Rederi Ab Gotland photograph of Gotland (7) under construction.
 
 
 
Photo: ©Mehte Erbil, 2nd June 2006
Click to open larger image in new window
 
 
 
Photo: ©Mehte Erbil, 2nd June 2006
Click to open larger image in new window
 
 
 
 
 
 
HSC Gotlandia II
(Destination Gotland: 2006- )
 
HSC Gotland was built in Italy in 2006. She is 122m long and carries 780 passengers and 160 cars at 40 knots. She entered service in July 2006.
 
 
Photo: ©Mehte Erbil, 2nd June 2006
Click to open larger image in new window
 
Photo: ©Mehte Erbil, 2nd June 2006
Click to open larger image in new window
 
 
 
Photo: ©Mehte Erbil, 2nd June 2006
Click to open larger image in new window
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gotland - Page 1 - Gotland - Page 2 - Destination Gotland - Gotlandslinjen
Sally Line (UK) - Stena Line
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