The second oldest and longest-serving ship in Tallink’s fleet, the ro-ro motor vessel Kapella, has been sold to Reklon Holding and faces an uncertain future. Built in 1974 in Kristiansand, Norway as Duke of Yorkshire, the ship has sailed under many names for many companies on routes in the North and Baltic Seas, the English Channel and along Canada’s Atlantic seaboard.
From 1997 she sailed for Tallink on routes carrying wheeled cargo between Estonia, Sweden and Finland, before being laid up two years ago and put up for sale as being surplus to requirements after the Estonian shipper brought in larger, newer and more efficient tonnage. She was briefly brought out of retirement for two months in summer 2011 on the Turku-Kapellskär route when demand spiked, to support the ro-ro Sea Wind.
But now the 2,793gt vessel, which has cabins for 50 drivers but under 600 lane metres, could soon be making a last voyage to a breaker’s. Her departure leaves Tallink with just two cargo-only ships in its fleet
