Gotlandslinjen

 

 

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 Destination Gotland. Rederi AB Gotland provided services to the island of 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 from 1st January 1998, Gotland services have reverted back to the original company, now trading as Destination 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:-

Graip - 1987-97

Nord Gotlandia - 1990-97

Nord Neptunus - 1990-97

Patricia Olivia - 1996-97

Vindile - 1995

Visby - 1987-90

Fleet Pictures - 1996 Fleet List

 

Associated Pages:-

Gotland - Page 1 - Gotland Passenger Perries 1866-1962

Gotland - Page 2 - Gotland Car Ferries 1962-1987

Destination Gotland - Ran Gotland services again from 1998

Eckerö Line

Estline

Gotland - Rederi AB Gotland history up to 1987
Olau Line

Viking Line

Ferry Postcards

Simplon Postcards Home Page

 

 

 

Table of Ship Histories

Name	Other names	Built
Nord Gotlandia	Olau Hollandia, Nordlandia	1981
Visby	Olau Hollandia, Nordlandia	1981

 

 

 

 

 

Gotlandslinjen Fleet List

 

 

Visby (1987-90)

 

Visby was built for Rederi AB Gotland in 1980. When their contract to operate Gotland services was lost to Gotlandslinjen from 1987, the new company chartered Visby until Nord Gotlandia became available in 1990. She was then chartered to Sealink as Felicity, passing to Stena Line and becoming Stena Felicity later the same year. She was returned to Rederi AB Gotland in 1997, in time to be refurbished for the renewel of their contract from 1st January 1998 as Destination Gotland. She reverted to her original name of Visby. A complete postcard history of this ship is available on this link.

 

 

Official Gotlandslinjen postcard of Visby, printed by Immenco (serial 8086).

Photograph by Hans Blomberg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graip (1987-97)

 

Graip was built for Stena Line in 1977, and chartered to North Sea Ferries as Norsky until 1980 for Ipswich-Rotterdam services. She was briefly renamed Stena Shipper before further charter as Merzario Ionia, then Constellation Express. She was given additional passenger accommodation when bought by Nordström & Thulin for use by Gotlanslinjen. In 2002, she is listed as the Chong Ming Dao, for unspecified owners.

 

 

Official Gotlandslinjen postcard of Graip, printed by Immenco (serial 8087).

Photograph by Hans Blomberg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nord Gotlandia (1990-97)

 

Olau Hollandia was built for the Olau Line Sheerness-Vlissingen service in 1982. In 1989 she was sold to Nordström & Thulin, for delivery in spring 1990. She was renamed Nord Gotlandia, and used on their Gotlandslinjen services. She was sold in 1997 to Eckerö Lines as Nordlandia, when the Gotlandlinjen contract to operate Gotland servises ended.

 

 

Official Gotlandslinjen postcard of Nord Gotlandia.

 

Official Gotlandslinjen postcard of Nord Gotlandia, printed by Immenco (serial 8093).

 

 

 

Official Gotlandslinjen postcard of Nord Gotlandia, printed by Immenco (serial 9187).

Photograph by Hans Hemlin.

 

 

 

Simplon Postcards sp1054, issued May 1991, of Nord Gotlandia.

Photographed in 1990 by Hans Hemlin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nord Neptunus (1991-97)

 

Nord Neptunus was built for Stena Line as Stena Topper in 1977, but was soon sold to James Fisher who chartered her to Sealink for Stranraer-Larne service as Darnia. In 1982, passenger capacity was increased to 412 when additional accommodation was added to the upper decks. In 1991 she was sold to Nordström & Thulin who renamed her Nord Neptunus and used her on their Estline and Gotland routes. She was also chartered to TT-Line. In 1997 she was acquired by Estline partner Estonian Shipping Company (ESCO) and renamed Neptunia, initially as a ro-pax ship on Stockholm-Tallinn, but later in freight-only mode. In 2000 she was chartered to Falcon Marfreight for service between Folkestone and Boulogne.

 

 

Official Nordström & Thulin postcard of Nord Neptunus.

 

 

 

Viktor Salmre postcard of the renamed Neptunia (ex-Nord Neptunus) in Tallinn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vindile

 

Official Gotlandslinjen postcard of Vindile, printed by Immenco (serial 9613).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patricia Olivia (1996-97)

 

Patricia Olivia was built as Incat yard number 24 (74metre series) in 1992 for Buquebus.

She operated with Gotlandslinjen under charter during 1996/97.

 

 

Official Gotlandslinjen postcard of Patricia Olivia, printed by Immenco (serial 8092).

Photograph by Anders Ostlund.

 

 

 

 

 

Fleet Pictures

 

The final 1996-97 fleet list from the timetable brochure of that period.

 

 

 

 

Gotland - Page 1 - Gotland - Page 2 - Destination Gotland

Eckerö Line - Estline - Olau Line - Viking Line

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