MS Color Viking is a ferry owned by the Norway-based Color Line, and operated on their service between Sandefjord and Strömstad from 16th June 2000 until 20th November 2022. She was built in 1985 as MS Peder Paars by Nakskov Skibsværft, Nakskov, Denmark for DSB Færger (the ferry division of the Danish State Railways). Between 1991 and 2000 she sailed as MS Stena Invicta for Sealink Stena Line and Stena Line. In 1998 she was chartered to Silja Line under the marketing name MS Wasa Jubilee. In May 2000 the Stena Invicta started operating for Color Line and received her current name. Color Viking is certified for 2000 passengers and 370 cars. Concept and construction In September 1983 DSB Færger ordered two relatively large ferries for service on the intra-Denmark Århus—Kalundborg route from the Nakskov Skibsværft in Nakskov, Denmark. Although ordered by the ferry division of the Danish State Railways, the ships did not have the facilities for transporting trains, but were constructed to transport road freight and passengers. Both ships were named after characters from the works of Ludvig Holberg, a Norwegian-born writer considered to be the father of modern Danish literature. First of the ships, delivered in 1985, was named MS Peder Paars after the poem Peder Paars. The second, delivered a years later, was named after the protagonist in Niels Klim's Underground Travels. Service history The Peder Paars was delivered to DSB Færger on 1985-10-18, but it was not until a month later that she entered service on the Århus—Kalundborg route. Århus was also her port of registry at the time. She and her sister remained in service for five years, until in October 1990 both ships were sold to Stena Line, to be delivered in May 1991. On 1991-05-19 both the Peder Paars and Niels Klim were withdrawn from service, replaced by the notably smaller second-hand ferries and . The following day the Peder Paars was renamed Stena Invicta and sailed to the Schichau-Seebeckswerft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany for rebuilding for service in the English Channel for Stena Line's subsidiary Sealink Stena Line. For this purpose the ship was re-registered in the United Kingdom, with Dover as her homeport. On 1991-08-08 the Stena Invicta entered service on the Dover—Calais route. Following the formation of P&O Stena Line, the Stena Invicta was laid up on 1998-02-18. In April of the same year she was chartered to Silja