Bore

Bore

The passenger ship Bore is internationally rare, as very few large, old passenger vessels have been preserved for museum use. While touring Bore, you can experience not only the ship’s eventful story but also the nostalgic travel atmosphere of past decades. Welcome aboard for a journey into maritime history!

The Bore exhibition is open year-round, Monday to Sunday from 9 AM to 7 PM. Ticket prices can be found in our price list. We also offer guided tours of the ship by reservation. Bore can also be explored as a virtual exhibition on Digimuseo.

In addition to the museum exhibition, the ship also offers accommodation and restaurant services. Explore Bore’s full service.

History of Bore

The passenger ship s/s Bore was completed in 1960 for scheduled traffic between Finland and Sweden. Unlike other ships of the Bore Shipping Company, this vessel was not given a number, as it was seen as the flagship and the most advanced ship of the fleet, often referred to as “Bore Zero.” The ship remained under the ownership of Bore Shipping Company until 1977, after which it had multiple different operators over the years.

The longest continuous chapter in Bore’s history was under the operation of Kristina Cruises of Kotka, known for its popular cruises. Over more than two decades, Bore visited countless countries and ports, from Arctic waters to West Africa and the Red Sea. The ship sailed under the Finnish flag until August 2010. When Kristina Cruises acquired a new vessel, Kristina Katarina, Bore faced either sale or scrapping.

The ship was saved when Oy s/s Borea Ab purchased it and moved it to Naantali for restoration. It was repainted in the original colors of the Bore Shipping Company, and its original name was restored. In October 2010, Bore was towed to Turku. In May 2011, it was moored at Forum Marinum’s pier as part of the maritime center’s museum fleet.

That same year, Bore was entered into the Heritage Ship Register maintained by the Finnish Heritage Agency. In addition to its function as a museum ship, accommodation and restaurant services were also launched on board.

At the beginning of 2018, Turku Vocational Institute began providing educational activities on board the Bore, taking over the ship’s accommodation, restaurant, and conference operations. Bore offers a unique multidisciplinary learning environment for students in fields such as hospitality, restaurant and tourism, hair and beauty care, technology, security, and cleaning and property services. The ship also provides opportunities for media and business studies, as well as various entrepreneurship projects.

The hostel operates year-round, accommodating both groups and individual travellers. The ship has 250 beds in cabins for 1–4 people. Conference and restaurant facilities are available for booking for events ranging from family celebrations to corporate functions, tailored individually to the client’s needs. Services are offered daily throughout the year. A lunch restaurant serves customers on weekdays from autumn to spring, and during summer, a café invites guests to enjoy the ship’s sun deck.