As Svea Regina she was, together with her sister MS Aallotar, the first ship to start year-round daily traffic between Helsinki and Stockholm, the capitals of Finland and Sweden, respectively.

[6] The main responsibility for designing the ships was given to Carl-Bertel Engström, following objectives set by marketing executives Gösta Ryning and Kalevi Etelä.

[7] Just five days after the new ships were ordered, and attendum was signed, allowing for the building contract to be transferred to FÅA, Svea or Bore.

[3] Despite doubts voiced, even by people within the Silja consortium,[6] the Aallotar and Svea Regina proved to be a phenomenal success.

[3] Between 2 June and 30 August 1977 the Svea Regina was chartered to Compagnie Nationale Algerienne de Navigation Maritime (CNAN) for services from Marseilles to Algiers, Bejaia and Oran.

Following the end of the charter the ship again returned to Silja Line's Turku–Stockholm service for the duration of the 1978 summer season, after which she was again laid up, this time in Turku.

Four days later she was sold by Rederi AB Svea to the Finland Steamship Company, and on 2 October 1978 her name was shortened to Regina and she was re-registered to Helsinki.

[1] On 29 November 1979 the Regina was sold to a holding company of the Karageorgis Lines, renamed Mediterranean Sun and re-registered in Greece.

[1][2] In December 1983 the Odysseas Eleytis participated in the evacuation of Palestine Liberation Organization members, including Yasser Arafat, from Lebanon.