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BIRKA LINE CRUISE SHIP DELIVERED BY VALMET Valmet Corporation's Helsinki Shipyard recently delivered its first passenger vessel, the Birka Princess, built for Birka Line Ab of Marie- hamn, Finland. The new liner, which replaces the ferry Prinsessan that was built by Wartsila in 1966 and modernized in 1980, will oper- ate unique 24-hour cruises from Stockholm to Mariehamn on the island of Aland, situated between the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Both- nia. Unlike the numerous passenger/ car ferries operating in the Baltic, the Birka Princess is a true cruise liner. She has only a small car deck at the stern that will accommodate six motor coaches and 50 private cars, or 75 cars, with access via a side ramp. The new liner has an overall length of 469 feet, beam of 81 feet, depth to Deck 11 of 100 feet, and draft of 18.4 feet. Main propulsion is provided by four Wartsila-Vasa die- sel engines with a total output of 23,600 bhp at 750 rpm, driving two KaMeWa controllable-pitch, highly skewed propellers via Valmet/Renk reduction gears. Cruising speed is 18 knots. The accommodations, which pro- vide for 1,500 passengers in 500 cab- ins, are of unusually high quality. This was achieved by skillful detail work, careful selection of materials, unique lighting systems, and other refinements. Passengers can view the impressive Stockholm archipel- ago and the Aland Sea through spe- cial panorama windows in the a-la- carte restaurant and dancing res- taurant aft, as well as in the cocktail lounge and one of the large confer- ence rooms forward. The principal design considera- tions for the Birka Princess were economical operation, safety, easy maintenance, and a high level of automation. Machinery is con- trolled by Valmet's Damatic ship automation system. The company's other units are also well represented among the suppliers; the Tampere Works provided the six passenger and service elevators, and the reduc- tion gears were supplied by the Rautpohja Works. In cooperation with the Finnish company Rakennusvalmiste Oy, Valmet developed a totally new cab- in construction method, with cabin wall elements completely fabricated at the factory. The units were fitted with all needed details, including furniture fastenings, plumbing, and electrical wiring. The partition wall between cabins is comprised of two BIRKA PRINCESS Built by: VALMET Helsinki Shipyard SPACIOUS ARCADES DANCING SALOON/SHOWROOM SEATING 500 PERSONS FUEL SAVING HEAVY FUEL MACHINERY OF UNIFORM TYPE ENGINE CONTROL ROOM WITH THE VALMET DAMATIC MARINE AUTOMATION SYSTEM PROPELLER AND HULL DESIGN ENSURING VERY LOW VIBRATION LEVEL SIDE RAMP TO THE GARAGE WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO THE SERVICE AND PROVISION ROOM UFTS GARAGE FOR 80 CARS, ALTERNATIVELY SO CARS AND 6 COACHES M/S BIRKA PRINCESS BALTIC CRUISE UNER FOR BIRKA UNE AB. MARIEHAMN. FINLAND LENGTH OA 143.0 M BREADTH (MOULDED) 247 M DRAUGHT 5.6 M DEPTH TO DECK 11 305 M MAX. SPEED 215 KNOTS CRUISING SPEED 18 KNOTS Mi OUTPUT 17,600 KW AE. OUTPUT 5455 KW RASSENGER CAPACITY 1500 MULTIPURPOSE CONFERENCE CENTER FOR 440 PERSONS -16 CONFERENCE ROOMS - TEAM WORK ROOMS - AUDITORIUM - GRILL RESTAURANT FOR 250 PERSONS PASSENGER CABINS FEATURING NEW CABIN CONSTRUCTION METHOD DEVELOPED BY VALMET A LA CARTE RESTAURANT WITH SEATS fOR 260 PERSONS MINIMUM RESISTANCE HULL FORM WITH LOW WAVE FORMATION RECREATION CENTER -POOL - JACUZZI - 3 SAUNAS - SOLARIUM - POOLSIDE BAR FOR •i' LUXURY SUITES WITH SEPARATE DAY AND BEDROOMS COCKTAIL BAR/DISCO FOR 150 PERSONS 1 76 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News