Isabella in Turku, 9 August 2011

An announcement to those of you fortunate enough to speak Finnish: the latest issue of the Ulkomatala webmagazine was published yesterday and can be read for free on the magazine's website. This issue also includes two articles by yours truly: a review of Thom companies shipping history book From High Arctic to Antarctica by Matti Pietikäinen and a look into the prospects of the English Channel ferry operator SeaFrance. Check it out.

Now onwards to the actual entry.

Isabella

IMO 8700723
Built 1989, Brodogradiliste Split, Yugoslavia
Tonnage 35 154 GT
Length 169,40 m
Width 27,60 m
Draugth 6,40 m
2 480 passengers
2 166 berths
364 cars
900 lane metres
4 Wärtsilä-Pielstick diesels, combined 23 760 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 21,5 knots

For the history of the Isabella, see the first entry on her.

The photographs below show the Isabella arriving in Turku on the evening of 9 August 2011. Photographed from a birdwatching tower in Ruissalo (well, it was more of a quay, really). I apologise for the fact that there are quite many images here... this was the first time ever I had a chance to photograph the Isabella in decent conditions with a proper camera.

Click on the individual images to see in larger size.

Personally I have always been a big fan of the Isabella's exterior. The added red stripe along deck 6 that's missing from her sisters in particular improves her looks.

Do I really need to say anything about this photo?

By the looks of it I should have rotated this one counterclockwise a bit. Still, it's a nicely atmospheric pic.

Inbound to Turku harbour.

Doing a(n almost) 180 degree turn before reversing into quay.

Beginning to reverse into quay, with Silja Europa already berthed on the left.

Almost at the terminal.