High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The MS Taras Shevchenko is a river cruise ship that is also capable of navigating the sea; in fact, she regularly sails the Black Sea. She was built in 1991 in Germany and outfitted with the most modern navigational aids to provide maximum passenger comfort and safety on the rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and other waterways that comprise the Moscow-St Petersburg Cruise Line. The ship was named after Ukrainian painter and poet Taras Shevchenko.