page_title: MS King Seaways
section_title: MV Val de Loire 1993–2006
hierarchical_section_title: MS King Seaways / History / MV Val de Loire 1993–2006
caption_attribution_description: Brittany Ferries at Cobh, 2001
context_page_description: MS King Seaways is a cruiseferry operated and owned by the Danish shipping company DFDS Seaways on a route connecting North Shields, effectively the port of Newcastle upon Tyne, England to IJmuiden in the Netherlands. She was built in 1987 as MS Nils Holgersson by Seebeckwerft, Bremerhaven, West Germany for TT-Line. Between 1993 and 2006 the ship was named MV Val de Loire, owned by Brittany Ferries and used on traffic across the English Channel. A DFDS vessel since 2006, she was originally named MS King of Scandinavia, before being given her current name in 2011.
context_section_description: In January 1993 the Nils Holgersson was sold to Brittany Ferries and renamed MV Val de Loire. Before entering service for her new owners, the ship was rebuilt at INMA, La Spezia, Italy with a new streamlined forward superstructure, a new bow door and refurbished interiors. Inside the theme used was "Maritime Tradition", with many artifacts and ship models on display in her public areas.  The facilities on board Val de Loire were very similar in style to those found on board the Normandie and the Barfleur.  The Val de Loire was the first Brittany Ferries vessel to include a swimming pool, though when the ship was transferred to the Portsmouth–St Malo route it was rarely open.
  After the rebuild was completed in June 1993, the ship entered service on Brittany Ferries' Plymouth–Santander route, as well as Plymouth–Roscoff and Cork–Roscoff.  In 2004 the new MV Pont-Aven replaced the Val de Loire on her old routes, and she was transferred to serve on the Portsmouth–St Malo and Portsmouth–Cherbourg routes . In November 2005 the Val de Loire was sold to DFDS Seaways for delivery in 2006.  Her final crossing with Brittany Ferries was between Portsmouth and Cherbourg on 20 February 2006.
caption: Val de Loire in Cobh in 2001
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