March 24th 1972: Launched as KATTEGAT. July 14th 1972: Delivered to Jydsk Færgefart A/S, Hundested, Denmark. July 15th 1972: Commenced service between Grenå - Hundested. December 30th 1977: Final day in operation between Grenå - Hundested. March 2nd 1978: Sold to Midland Montague Leasing (U.K.) Ltd, London, England for P&O Normandy Ferries Ltd, London. March 6th 1978: Arrive at Vlissingen East and laid up. April 14th 1978: Rebuilt at Caillard S.A., Le Havre, France. June 9th 1978: Renamed n.f. TIGER. Commenced service between Dover - Boulogne. The "nf" prefix to her name of course stands for Normandy Ferries... Although scheduled to enter service on June 1 (1978), the TIGER was late arriving at Dover and did not take up service until the 02.15 sailing on June 10.
 
Roy Thornton Collection
December 29th 1979: Off service for two days with engine trouble June 31st 1980: Overhaul which lasted until February 16th. June 1980: Off service with engine trouble on June 1st - 2nd
  
Roy Thornton Collection (left and Middle) and Manuel Dhondt (right)
January 4th 1985: P&O Ferries Channel operations (Normandy Ferries) were sold to the European Ferries group then absorbed into the Townsend Thoresen fleet and painted in their livery (although wording on her hull was smaller than that of her sister) . Renamed TIGER and continued between Dover - Boulogne.
 
© Gary Davies (Maritime Photographic, left), Brian Fisher (right)
July 18th 1986: Final day operating between Dover - Boulogne. Thereafter laid up at Chatham.
 
Manuel Dhondt (left) and © Fotoflite, Stéphane Poulain Collection (right)
November 1986: Sold to Finlandshamnen Ab, Norrtälje, Sweden (Name brand SF-Line). December 11th - December 20th 1986: Rebuilt on the river Tyne.
© Gary Davies (Maritime Photographic)
December 22nd 1986: Arrived at original builder for further rebuild. Renamed ÅLANDSFÄRJAN. April 29th 1987: Arrived at Mariehamn. May 18th 1987: Commenced service for Viking Line between Kapellskär - Mariehamn. 1993: Introduced between Kapellskär - Mariehamn - Nådendal and transferred to Rederi Ab Viking Line, Norrtälje. January 3rd 2003 - February 3rd 2003: Rebuilt with stern sponsors at Baltic Ship Repairers, Tallinn.
 
© Andreas Wörteler
February 15th 2002: Redelivered to operational service between Kapellskär - Mariehamn. January 6th 2004 - February 6th 2004: Laid up. February 7th 2004: Returned to service between Kapellskär - Mariehamn. January 2005 - February 10th 2005: Laid up. February 11th 2005: Returned to service between Kapellskär - Mariehamn. July 5th 2005: Vessel collided with a mooring Dolphin at Mariehamn following the failure of the hydraulics on her port controllable pitch propeller. July 7th 2005: Re-entered service following repairs. October 23rd 2007: Vessel `touched bottom' on the Marbadan reef just outside of Mariehamn. After berthing in Mariehamn an inspection revealed extensive hull damage. The ship was taken out of service for repairs in Tallin, Estonia. November 23rd 2007: Re-entered service following repairs. May 27th 2008: Sold to GAP Shipping Co Ltd, Barbados (Expedition Cruises) for conversion into a cruise vessel dedicated to cruising the waters of the Antarctic. May 29th 2008: Last day in service between Kapellskär and Mariehamn. June 26th 2008: Departed Mariehamn for the shipyard of STX in Rauma, Finland. June 27th 2008: Taken over by her new owners and renamed Expedition under the Liberian flag. April 2009: Commenced cruising. November 2009: Arrived in Las Palmas with engine problems. January 2010: Re-enters service following engine repairs.
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Technical Data
History
