By the early 1970s Tor Line had essentially defeated their main competitors on the route, Rederi AB Svea and Swedish Lloyd.

To consolidate their leading position the company decided to order a pair of new state-of-the-art ferries for the service.

The two ships revolutionized trans-North Sea traffic, being capable of speeds in excess of 27 knots and offering services hitherto unknown on ferries in that route.

Although technically modern in many ways, the ships' exteriors were quite traditional in their style, reminiscent more of ocean liners than ferries.

The winter passenger numbers weren't the only problem, and Tor Line started looking to form a partnership with another shipping company.

In the same year the ship was moved to Danish International Shipregistry, which meant lower operational costs for the company.