MS SNAV Toscana - Concept and Construction

Concept and Construction

In the late 1970s the Swedish shipbuilding industry was suffering from a downturn, with little to no ships in order from Swedish shipyards. To help the industry the Swedish Prime Minister Ola Ullsten persuaded Rederi AB Gotland to order new ferries from Öresundsvarvet in Landskrona. Although Rederi AB Gotland were reluctant to order new ships at first, in the end they decided to order two large, state-of-the-art ferries, capable of carrying over 2000 passengers. The first ship, MS Visby, was delivered on October 10, 1980. The second ship, planned to be called MS Gotland, was delivered on 24 June 1981 to Rederi Ab Gotland. However, there were not enough passengers in the traffic from Gotland to the Swedish mainland, on one day following her delivery the ship was chartered to Vaasanlaivat / Vasabåtarna, Finland and officially named MS Wasa Star.