The ''Star'' class is a class of five

Ro-pax Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

built by

Fincantieri Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014 ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

at their

Castellammare di Stabia Castellammare di Stabia (; ) is a (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania region, in southern Italy. It is situated on the Bay of Naples about southeast of Naples, on the route to Sorrento. History Castellammare di Stabia ...

and

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

shipyards for

Finnlines Finnlines Plc (, ) is a shipping operator of Roll-on/roll-off, ro-ro and passenger services in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, and the Celtic Sea. It is a subsidiary of the Grimaldi Group. Finnlines’ sea transports are concentrated in the Balt ...

. They are used on Finnlines' routes connecting

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

to Germany. Most ships of this class were delivered behind original planned schedule.

MS ''Finnstar''

MS ''Finnstar'' was the first Star-class ship to be completed. The ship was built at Fincantieri's Castellammare di Stabia yard. She was delivered to Finnlines in July 2006 (original planned delivery date was in late 2005)Fincantieri press release reprinted at FCBS forum
retrieved 12/4/2007 and the class takes its name from this ship. She is used on the

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

–

Travemünde Travemünde () is a borough of Lübeck, Germany, located at the mouth of the river Trave in Bay of Lübeck, Lübeck Bay. It began life as a fortress built by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, in the 12th century to guard the mouth of the Trave, an ...

route. During construction a small fire broke out on board the ship in November 2005, but it was quickly extinguished. The ''Finnstar'' was registered in Helsinki, Finland but as of November 2014 ''Finnstar'' was re-registered to Mariehamn.

MS ''Finnmaid''

MS ''Finnmaid'' was built at Fincantieri's Ancona shipyard, and is used on the Helsinki–Travemünde route. She was delivered in August 2006. Immediately after the first Travemünde–Helsinki trip the ship was forced to

drydock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...

due to problems with her bow thrusters. On 4 January 2007, a small fire broke out on board while the ship was docked in Helsinki, that seems to have originated, and been contained to one of the bilge pumps on board. The ''Finnmaid'' is registered in Helsinki, Finland.

MS ''Finnlady''

The ship currently sailing under the name MS ''Finnlady'' was originally laid down as MS ''Europalink'', but due to delays in construction of the original ''Finnlady'' Finnlines decided to swap the names of the ships. She was built at Fincantieri's Ancona shipyard and delivered in February 2007 (original planned delivery date was in October 2006). She is used on the Helsinki–Travemünde route. The ''Finnlady'' is registered in Helsinki, Finland.

MS ''Europalink''

MS ''Europalink'' was originally planned to be called MS ''Finnlady'', but delays in construction made Finnlines swap the names of the two ships. She was built at the Castellammare di Stabia shipyard, and her original delivery date was planned to be in mid-2006, but eventually she was delivered in March 2007 and used on Finnlines Nordö-Link service between

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

and Travemünde. In January 2022, Europalink was transferred to Naantali-Långnäs-Kapellskär route and reflagged under Finnish flag. From 2023 to 2024 she briefly returned to the Nordö-Link service between

and Travemünde. The ''Europalink'' is registered in Mariehamn, Finland. The ''Europalink'' left on 24 January from Malmö to Naples, to change livrey to

Grimaldi Lines The Grimaldi Group is a private shipping company owned by the Grimaldi family (Emanuele Grimaldi) and based in Naples, Italy. Grimaldi operates a large fleet of ro-ro, ro-ro/multipurpose, con-ro multipurpose, PCTC (Pure Car and Truck Carrier) ...

. It currently serves the route

Igoumenitsa Igoumenitsa () is a coastal city in northwestern Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Thesprotia. Igoumenitsa is the chief port of Thesprotia and Epirus, and one of the largest passenger ports of Greece, connecting northwestern Main ...

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

MS ''Finnswan''

Formerly named the MS ''Nordlink'', renamed in 2018 to MS ''Finnswan''. The construction of ''Nordlink'' was begun at the Castellammare di Stabia shipyard, but she was moved to the Ancona shipyard after launching. The ship's original planned delivery date was in March 2007 but after numerous delays she was finally delivered in July 2007.Fakta om Fartyg - M/S Nordlink
, retrieved 12/4/2006 The ''Nordlink'' is registered in Malmö, Sweden. Following delivery the ship was placed on Malmö–Travemünde traffic, replacing the old . Since June 2009 she has been sailing between Helsinki and Travemünde via

Gdynia Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...

. Since June 2015 she has been sailing between Malmö and Travemünde. Since 2018 on route between Naantali and Kapellskär. In 2024 she replaced MS ''Europalink'' on the Nordö-Link service between

and Travemünde.

References

External links

Finnlines company websiteNordic Ferry Center
main agent for Finnlines passenger services

agent for Nordic Ferry Center in Russia

Photos of cabins, buffet, bar, sauna M/S ''Finnstar''

Finnlines, Finnmaid voyage to Finland from Gdynia,Poland {{List of ships built by Fincantieri Ferry classes Ferries of Finland Ships built by Fincantieri