MS

Motor ship

A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The name of motor ships are often prefixed with MS, M/S, MV or M/V.- See also :...

 Kristina Katarina is a cruise ship

Cruise ship

A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...

 operated by Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 shipping company Kristina Cruises

Kristina Cruises

Kristina Cruises is a Finnish family-owned shipping company with over fifty years of experience in cruise business. The company was founded in 1985 and registered in Kotka. In addition to the five destinations in the early days of business they currently sail to more than 70 ports...

. She operated as Konstantin Simonov in the Baltic sea

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...

 from construction, undergoing a refit in 1988. From 1996 to 2001, the ship operated as Francesca in the Mediterranean sea. Until 2010, the ship was owned by Israeli

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 Mano Cruise

Mano Maritime

Mano Maritime is an Israeli owned cruise line, based in Haifa, Israel. The cruise line is aimed at the Israeli public. The parent company of the line, Mano Holdings Ltd., operates cargo ship services as well. Mano Maritime itself serves as a general agent in Israel for the Japanese shipping...

(after a refit in 2001) and operated in the eastern Mediterranean sea

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

 under the name The Iris, during which time it was registered in Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

. The ship was refitted again and joined Kristina Cruises in late 2010, taking over as flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

 from the much smaller Kristina Regina.