Canal Cruiser MS Juno

The world’s oldest passenger ship with overnight accommodation still in service is the Swedish canal ship Juno. It was built in 1874 and together with two sister ships sails on the Göta River and the Göta Canal in Sweden. It operates regular canal cruises between Göteborg and Stockholm.

The actual Göta Canal begins on the shore of Vänern, Sweden's largest lake. The canal is 190 kilometres long. During its construction in 1810-1832, lakes and natural watercourses were used. Half of the route was dug and blasted into rocks. In order to overcome differences in elevation, ships have to pass through 58 locks, two of which are still operated by hand. The canal is considered the largest waterway in Sweden. It has lost economic importance, however, because the dimensions of merchant and cargo ships have changed. Nowadays it is mainly used for leisure and tourism.

Like its sister ships, the canal ship “Juno” was built especially for traffic on the Göta Canal and, with a length of 31 metres, is precisely adapted to the smallest lock. There are 29 cabins available for overnight stays on three decks. The former steam ship is nowadays powered by two diesel engines and reaches a maximum speed of 10 knots. There is only one propeller at the stern, which makes the ship more difficult to steer than modern ships. Fenders made of fresh birch wood hang down from the sides to protect the ship from the lock walls. They are used instead of plastic fenders for environmental reasons and are made by hand by a resident of the canal. Another resident takes the used fenders back from the crew.

The canal and its ships became famous through the crime novel “The Dead Woman in the Göta Canal” by the author duo Sjöwall and Wahlöö. In the 1980s, a popular Swedish television series was filmed here, centred on the captain of a canal ship.