MV Moby Drea
Ex Prince of Scandinavia, Tor Britannia, Scandinavian Star, Tor Britannia
© Fotoflite
Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1975 by Lübecker Flender-Werke, Lübeck, Germany (Yard No 607) as Passenger/RoRo Cargo/Ferry.
Technical Data
- Length: 182.26 – 184.55 – 187.47m (overall) 163.0 – 163.18 – 163 m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth: 23.62 – 26.40 – 26.88 m
- Depth: 16.06 m
- Draught: 6.20 – 6.25 m
- Tonnage: 15657 – 15730 – 21545 – 22528 gross/7729 – 8119 – 12052 – 12518 net/3200 – 3335t deadweight
- Engines: 4 x Vee Oil 4SA Pielstick Lindholmen 12PC3V diesels
- Power: 34018 kW/45600 bHP
- Speed: 26.0 knots
- Capacity: 1507 – 1543 – 1929 passengers/420 – 500 cars/910 lane meters
- Call Sign: SDCA, OVRY, OVRY2, CQSV, IBQI
- IMO Number: 7361312
- Official Number: A-389 (LR 1999- 2000)
- Port of Registry: Gothenburg/Sweden 🇸🇪, Nassau/Bahamas 🇧🇸, Esbjerg/Denmark 🇩🇰, Copenhagen/Denmark 🇩🇰, Madeira/Portugal 🇵🇹, Naples/Italy 🇮🇹
- Sister-Ship: Tor Britannia (608)
Current AIS Location
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History
First of a pair of vessels, original basic design by Knud E. Hansen A/S who ceased to be involved in the project once the design was submitted. Subsequent development being carried out by Tor Line’s Technical Director, Lars Wikander.
January 21st 1974: Keel laid.
October 10th 1974: Launched and christened TOR BRITANNIA by Gudmor Barbro Salén.
May 16th 1975: Delivered to Rederi Ab Salenia, Salenrederierna Ab och Rederi Ab Transatlantic, Gothenburg.
May 21st 1975: Tor Line services between Gothenburg – Felixstowe and Gothenburg – Amsterdam.
© Cees De Bijl (IJmuiden, July 1975)
November 1977: Assists Ellerman’s Wilsons Line’s ro-ro ship HERO sinking in severe storm in the North Sea. TOR BRITANNIA picks up 10 survivors.
© Cees De Bijl (Noordzeekanaal, July 1978)
© Simonwp (Ijmuiden, 11/09/1979)
© Fotoflite
January 1980: Cooperation between Tor Line and Sessan Linjen begins. The new marketing name is Tor Sessan Linjen, which is painted on the ship’s hulls.
© Cees De Bijl (Noordzeekanaal, April 1980)
© Simonwp (Noordzee Kanal, 11/09/1980)
Edmund Ziegler Collection
March 1st 1981: The collaboration between Tor Line and Sessan Linjen ends
© Simonwp (Amsterdam, 01/06/1981)
October 22nd 1981: Sold to Scandinavian Seaways Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas. (DFDS A/S).
November 10th 1981: Taken over in Aalborg, Denmark and renamed SCANDINAVIAN STAR. Laid up in Aalborg, although it was planned to start services between Freeport – Florida.
December 1981: Tor Line was sold to the Danish company DFDS
January 7th 1982: Left Alborg for Copenhagen.
January 8th 1982 – March 12th 1982: Laid up in Copenhagen.
March 26th 1982: Sold to DFDS A/S Esbjerg, Denmark and renamed TOR BRITANNIA.
March 29th 1982: Services Gothenburg – Felixstowe, and Gothenburg – Amsterdam.
April 1983: Service changed to Gothenburg – Harwich instead of Felixstowe.
October 1983: Service to Amsterdam.
© Ulrich Streich (Harwich, November 1983)
October 1983: Services Gothenburg / Esbjerg – Harwich.
September 27th 1984 – October 3rd 1984: Chartered to NATO for a round-trip Harwich – Cuxhaven – Newcastle – Cuxhaven – Newcastle.
© Simonwp
© Ken Lubi (Tyne, 01/10/1984)
© Fotoflite
March 6th 1985 – March 18th 1985: Chartered to NATO for a round-trip Esbjerg – Narvik – Mo i Rana – Rörvik – Mo i Rana – Tromsø – Esbjerg.
© Simonwp (Harwich, 08/09/1985) (Left) © Brian Fisher (Right)
© Fotoflite (Both)
Courtesy of Chris Howell
© Derek Sands (Harwich, 26/03/1986) (Left) © Brian Fisher (Felixstowe, 01/04/1987) (Right)
October 9th 1987 – December 12th 1987: Chartered to NATO for a round-trip Harwich – Newcastle – Bremerhaven – Gothenburg.
November 8th 1988 – December 7th 1988: Services Copenhagen – Gothenburg.
June 17th 1989 – September 17th 1989: Services Gothenburg – Newcastle.
November 8th 1988 – December 7th 1988: Services Copenhagen – Gothenburg.
June 17th 1989 – September 17th 1989: Services Gothenburg – Newcastle.
© Fotoflite
© Fotoflite
1988: DFDS adopted a new marketing name, Scandinavian Seaways, for their passenger division.
October 2nd 1989: The Gothenburg – Amsterdam service was reopened.
November 7th 1989 – December 14th 1989: Services Gothenburg – Copenhagen.
December 23rd 1989 – March 15th 1990: Chartered to Malmö Municipality as a refugee extension in Malmö.
March 20th 1990 – November 4th 1990: Services Gothenburg/Esbjerg – Harwich, and Gothenburg – Amsterdam.
© Simonwp (Harwich, 14/06/1989) (Left) © Fotoflite (Right)
November 8th 1990 – January 11th 1991: Rebuilt at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, Germany with extra passenger accommodation.
November 21st 1990: Renamed PRINCE OF SCANDINAVIA.
March 16th 1991: Officially christened in Gothenburg.
October 8th 1991 – November 4th 1991: Services Gothenburg – Harwich/ Gothenburg – Copenhagen.
November 1991: Laid up Copenhagen.
February 18th 1992 – March 16th 1992: Services Gothenburg – Harwich/ Gothenburg – Copenhagen.
March 18th 1992: In service between Gothenburg/Esbjerg – Harwich, and Gothenburg – Amsterdam.
November 3rd 1992 – December 16th 1992: Services Gothenburg – Harwich/ Gothenburg – Copenhagen.
December 17th 1992 – January 4th 1993: Services Gothenburg – Harwich.
January 19th 1993: Laid up Gothenburg.
June 1993 – August 1993: Services Gothenburg – Newcastle/ Harwich/ Amsterdam.
October 27th 1993: Last day of service to Amsterdam, then service to Ijmuiden in Holland.
February 17th 1994 – March 21st 1994: Laid up in Copenhagen.
March 1994: Back in traffic across the North Sea.
© Pieter Inpyn (Ymuiden, August 1994)
February 9th 1995: Hotel ship during the UN conference at Kalvebod pier in Copenhagen.
March 14th 1995: Left Copenhagen for Gothenburg with 200 Volvo cars which were used during the conference.
March 1995: Back in service across the North Sea.
May 12th 1995 – May 13th 1995: Chartered to Rotterdam Port Promotion council for a voyage between Ijmuiden – Rotterdam – Ijmuiden.
October 29th 1995: Laid up Gothenburg.
April 1996: Back in service across the North Sea.
April 19th 1996 – May 15th 1996: Chartered to the Ministry of Defence, England. Left Esbjerg for Dundee – Norfolk – Chesapeake Bay – Crumps Bank – Norfolk – Camp Pendelton – Morehead City – Onslow Bay – Morehead City.
May 15th 1996: Left Morehead City for the Mediterranean.
May 28th 1996 – October 26th 1996: Chartered to Cotunav, Tunis, Tunisia. Operated between Genoa – Tunis/ La Goulette and Marseille – Tunis/La Goulette. Called “LE PRINCE” during the charter.
© Carlo Martinelli (Genoa, 11/07/1996)
© Simonwp (Laid-up Gothenburg, 01/11/1996)
November 3rd 1996: Laid up in Gothenburg.
February 20th 1997- February 24th 1997: Single trip Gothenburg – Orkanger (Norway) – Sørreisa (Norway).
February 28th 1997: Services Hamburg – Harwich.
May 8th 1997: Ran aground at Otterndorf at the Elbe Estuary. Re-floated after two hours and continued to Cuxhaven.
December 5th 1997 – January 14th 1998: Rebuilt at Remontowa, Poland with further passenger accommodation and side sponsors.
January 20th 1998 – March 1998: Services Gothenburg – Newcastle/ Gothenburg – Copenhagen.
May 19th 1998: Services Hamburg – Newcastle.
© Ken Lubi (Tyne, 05/06/1998)
December 31st 1998: Cruise to Heligoland.
March 13th 1999: Ran aground at the Elbe Estuary. Under her own power, re-floated and, after inspection, continued its journey.
September 24th 1999 – February 2000: Services Gothenburg – Kristiansand – Newcastle.
July 31st 2000: Sold to DFDS A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark.
© Simonwp (Tyne, 01/03/2002)
January 16th 2000: Last day of service between Hamburg – Harwich.
January 28th 2000: Services Ijmuiden – Newcastle.
October 24th 2003: Sold to Moby Lines SpA, Italy for delivery in November.
November 27th 2003: Last day of service between Ijmuiden – Newcastle.
November 28th 2003: Taken over by the new owners at A&P Appledore, Newcastle and renamed MOBY DREA.
December 2003: Left Newcastle for Italy.
December 11th 2003: Arrived Genoa.
© Lars Helge Isdahl
December 2003: Refit in Genoa.
© Egidio Ferrighi (15/05/2004)
May 2004: Moby Line’s services Livorno – Olbia.
© Lars Helge Isdahl
May 23rd 2007: Services Genoa – Porto Torres.
© Carsten Dettmer (Olbia, 25/05/2016)
© Fabian Vornholt (Genoa, 27/07/2019)
© Dogan (Olbia, 19/04/2024)
November 2024: Laid up in Genoa.
April 2025: Sold for scrap.
2025: Registered owner. With Fuel SRL, Genoa, Italy.
July 18th 2025: Towed by SEA DREAM from Genoa to Split, Croatia.
July 29th 2025: Arrived Split Anchorage. Planned to be decontaminated of approximately 350 tons of asbestos at Brodosplit shipyard.
September 2nd 2025: Towed from Split to Crotone, Italy when asbestos removal was suspended after major protests in Split.
September 2nd 2025: Left Brodosplit being towed by PROTUG 75 (IMO 9559781), which had been dispatched from Malta. Destination showing as Crotone, Italy.
© Sinisa Aljinovic (Split, 02/09/2025)
September 6th 2025: Arrived Crotone.
All information is believed to be correct, and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Sinisa Aljinovic, Cees de Bijl, Carsten Dettmer, Dogan, Egidio Ferrighi, Bian Fisher, Fotoflite, Chris Howell, Pieter Inpyn, Lars Helge Isdahl, Ken Lubi, Carlo Martinelli, Derek Sands, Simonwp, Ulrich Streich, Fabian Vornholt and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
