Finnlines had begun car/passenger ferry operations from Finland to Germany in 1962 with M/S "Hansa Express". The Hansa Express soon proved too small however, and already in November 1963 Finnlines ordered a pair of larger ferries to replace her. The first of these sisters, M/S "Finnhansa", was launched on December 1, 1964, by Sylvi Kekkonen, the wife of Finnish president Urho Kekkonen. The ship was originally planned to be delivered in June 1965, but two fires on board during the fitting out phase, first one in March 1965 and the second in December of the same year, meant she wasn't delivered until March 28, 1966. Although she sailed under Finnlines' colours, the ship was actually owned by Merivienti Oy ("Sea exports Ltd."). At the time of her delivery, the Finnhansa was the largest ferry in the Baltic Sea. In June 1966 her sister M/S "Finnpartner" was delivered, but Finnhansa kept her title of "largest in the Baltic" as she was purposefully built 10 centimeters longer than her sister.