KALAKALA Buyer Named
October 16: On October 2, we reported the KALAKALA sold to an unnamed buyer. Today, "Preservation Online" named the new owner of the deco-style Seattle ferry as Steve Rodrigues of Tumwater, Washington. Described as a former engineer he is quoted as saying, "I will sail [the KALAKALA] to Port Townsend, to Anacortes, to Seattle," (three cities on Puget Sound). "We will preserve the upper deck to its original beauty", he added.

Fatal Ferry Accident
October 15: The 1981-built Staten Island ferry ANDREW J. BARBERI slammed into the wooden pilings along the side of the Staten Island dock this afternoon as it was completing a trip from New York. Ten passengers are reported to have died and over forty injured. The victims were taken to Staten Island University Hospital and St. Vincent's Hospital following the accident, which happened around 3:20 PM. Reports said the ferry's pilot fled the scene then tried to commit suicide. He was later hospitalized. The 310-foot ferry suffered extensive damage when it sustained a large hole in its side. The ferry normally carries 70,000 commuters per day on the 25-minute free ride between Staten Island and lower Manhattan. U.S. Federal authorities have launched an investigation

QUEEN MARY 2 To Be Named by HM Queen Elizabeth II
October 15: British press reports that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has agreed to take part in the naming ceremony for Cunard's QUEEN MARY 2. Her Majesty will be accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. The QM2 will sail from the shipyard at St Nazaire to Southampton where she is scheduled to arrive on Boxing Day, December 26 at 1 PM. There will be several short cruises before the January 8 ceremony (new date -- changed to accomodate the Queen's schedule), then the liner will embark on her maiden transatlantic voyage January 12.

SUNDREAM Jolted
October 15: Passengers aboard MV SUNDREAM (ex SONG OF NORWAY) were returned early to Southampton after she hit a pier while docking in the Canary Islands. At 7 AM on October 5, as a local pilot was guiding the ship into port on the island of La Gomera, her Captain, Roy Dearman, realized something was wrong and took control, although it was too late to prevent a collision with the dock. SUNDREAM was repaired in Tenerife, calls at Madeira and Lisbon were cancelled and the cruise ship headed back to Southampton early. Passengers were paid £100 compensation each after the cruise was cut short. The following cruise was also shortened, as two more days worth of repairs were made in Southampton.

Alarming Alang Updates
October 14: Demolition on BIG BOAT (ex TRANSVAAL CASTLE, SA VAAL, FESTIVALE, ISLANDBREEZE, BIG RED BOAT III) has been proceeding slowly since the vessel's beaching in July. Thus far, most of her lower foredecks have disappeared and cutting has been working inward from her exterior flanks, removing the promenades all the way aft to the mid point of her superstructure. Her showroom and many public areas and cabins are now exposed. A hole has been cut into the bulwarks of her starboard wing for bridge equipment removal.

Her ROC fleetmates APOLLON (ex EMPRESS OF CANADA, MARDI GRAS, STAR OF TEXAS, LUCKY STAR) and STELLA OCEANIS (ex APHRODITE) will follow in due course.

OCEANBREEZE Nearly Lost
October 13: Reports from Chittagong, Bangladesh, indicate the historic SS OCEANBREEZE (ex SOUTHERN CROSS, CALYPSO, AZURE SEAS) encountered a severe storm, taking on a list and much water as she neared the breakers beach in Bangladesh. Originally headed for Alang, the venerable liner continued onward to Bangladesh where a higher scrapping price was tendered. The onboard crew was assisted with shore-based rescuers who pumped out excess water. The OCEANBREEZE has now been secured and will soon be beached for scrapping.

SUN BAY I Finds Buyer?
October 13: According to industry reports, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has bid for the 2001-built SUN BAY I for operatation under the Celebrity brand, possibly in the Galapagos Islands. No details would be confirmed either by RCCL or the German KfW Bank selling the vessel. SUN BAY I was built by Cassens Werft and can carry 96 passengers

Trans-Atlantic Revival
October 11: French liner operator CMA CGM (The French Line) revived the trans-Atlantic passenger trade today with the opening of the new Amerigo Express. The new container service between the Mediterranean and the US east coast will also cater for passengers. Four of the ships to be deployed can take up to 12 passengers. The French Line has always carried passengers between Europe and the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, but last offered passenger service between Europe and the USA in 1985, when cargo ships ATLANTIC CHAMPAGNE and ATLANTIC COGNAC (which carried just four passengers each) were retired. CMA CGM only entered the Atlantic container trades in 2000 through a slot charter arrangement with Maersk Sealand. However, the line will now operate its own ships in partnership with China Shipping. The CMA CGM vessels are the 31,000-ton reefer container ships CMA CGM HUDSON, POTOMAC, ARNO and TAGE, formerly the FORT DESAIX, FORT FLEUR D'EPEE, FORT ROYAL and FORT ST CHARLES, from the French Antilles-North Europe banana trade. The ports of call are Malta, Leghorn, Genoa, Fors-sur-Mer (Marseilles), Valencia and Lisbon in Europe and New York, Norfolk, Savannah and Port Everglades in the United States. The shortest transit from Lisbon to New York takes 8 days. The full round voyage will be 35 days. The four new US-service ships were built in France in the late 1970s-1980s can carry passengers in both double and single cabins, with passenger lounge and outdoor swimming pool. Passengers will dine in the officers dining room where they will enjoy French cuisine and complimentary table wine. The fifth ship, the CSCL XIAMEN, does not carry passengers.

Dry Rhine
October 5: Germany's River Rhine, Europe's most heavily trafficked shipping lane, is reporting record low water levels. Falling to its lowest level in fifty years, passenger and cargo shippng has been adversely affected. On September 28, the KD Line's river cruise vessel LORELEY crashed onto rocks near the famed Loreley Cliff, injuring 40 passengers. Now many companies navigating the Rhine have been forced to suspend their freight operations as some container ships can only carry a third of their normal capacity to avoid grounding. The situation is not expected to improve for at least several weeks and problems have extended beyond Germany.

Southampton Prepares for QM2
October 3: The Queen Elizabeth II passenger terminal in Southampton was reopened today with a ceremony presided over by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescotts wife, Pauline Prescott. The terminal has undergone a £2m modernisation programme to allow it to accommodate up to 50% more passengers. QUEEN MARY 2 is expected at the terminal in December with naming ceremony in January before her maiden voyage.

QM2 Gets Flying Colours
October 3: QM2 returned from her sea trials to Saint Nazaire in France at 7:00 AM Sunday September 28, after what was reported to be very successful sea-trials where the contractual top speed was achieved. One eye witness remarked, "The ship exceeded 29 knots and was amazingly steady and vibration-free. Amazing sea-keeping qualities..."

SONG OF FLOWER Sold
October 2: Radisson Seven Seas Cruises' SONG OF FLOWER ceases service as such on October 22 at Civitavecchia, Italy. She has been purchased from Radisson for US$7.3 million by two firms as a joint venture and will be renamed LE DIAMANT when she re-enters service in 2004. Her new operators will be Compagnie des Iles du Diamant. LE DIAMANT will receive a new propulsion system and sail under the French flag in the Mediterranean in May, Northern Europe from June to September, the Mediterranean and Black Sea from September to November and South America from January to March 2005.

KALAKALA Sold
October 2: After two unsuccessful bids the streamlined deco-style Seattle ferry KALAKALA was sold by auctioneers for a total of $136,560. No information on the identity of the owners or their plans for the 1935 ferry were made public. If a banktrupcy judge approves the deal, the buyers will move the vessel by November 30.

Three Big Girls?
October 2: Cunard Line's new QUEEN MARY 2, at 150,000 gt, due for delivery in December, will be the largest liner afloat. Royal Caribbean Cruises recently announced that it is building the ULTRA VOYAGER, which will be even bigger at 160,000 gt, and due in May 2006. Now Carnival is apparently considering an even larger vessel for its Princess Cruises brand that would carry between 3,600 to 4,000 passengers and be 170,000 to 180,000 grt.

IMAGINATION and VOYAGER Pick Up Rafters
October 1: Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's VOYAGER OF THE SEAS came across four Cuban men on a raft that was taking on water at around 7:00 p.m. September 26, approximately 74 miles south of Key West. VOYAGER sent a rescue team to bring the four men aboard. They were transferred to a Coast Guard cutter and later sent back to Cuba. The following day, nine Cuban rafters were rescued on September 27 by Carnival's IMAGINATION at about 6:00 p.m. in the Florida Straits. They were on board the ship for about two hours before being transferred to a Coast Guard vessel. Under US law Cubans caught at sea are sent back to Cuba (unless they can convince authorities that they would be persecuted by their government) those who make it to US soil, however, can stay.

Oceana Adds to REGATTA
September 29: Two days ago Oceania Cruises took redelivery of the INSIGNIA from its French charterer and will refit the ship for an April launch. NAUTICA (ex R5) is expected to join REGATTA and INSIGNIA after completing her current charter to a Spanish tour operator in the spring and then enter service with Oceania in 2005.

SUPERSTAR LEO Returns to Australia
September 29: Star Cruises announced today that the 76,800-gt SUPERSTAR LEO will be deployed in Australia from January to March 2004. SUPERSTAR LEO is scheduled to arrive in the port of Fremantle on January 12, 2004. She will be making maiden calls to Fremantle, the Tasmanian destinations of Hobart, Freycinet and Port Davey, Hardy Reef in Queensland and Isle of Pines in the South Pacific.

Appledore Ship Yard To Close?
September 29: England's last remaining commercial ship building yard faces closure. About 700 workers at the Appledore Ship Yard, founded in 1855 in North Devon, reportedly continued their occupation of the yard in protest. Residents of Appledore joined in, demonstrating outside the yard. Appledore Ship Yard is on the River Torridge, and has built more than 350 ships up to 140 metres and 10,000 tonnes, including naval fishery protection vessels, trawlers, passenger-vehicle ferries, dredgers and bulk carriers. Union leaders believe the yard has a viable future.

(Publishers note: I have personal connection to this story as my great great grandfather Thomas George worked at this yard - Martin Cox)

EMPRESS To India
September 26: THE EMPRESS (ex SUNWARD) has been sold for US $1.3 million for cruising from Mumbai. Her itineraries will include Goa, Kerala and Cochin. THE EMPRESS is currently in the floating drydock in Singapore for refit.

QUEEN MARY 2 Puts To Sea
September 25: As planned, the unfinished Cunard Liner, QUEEN MARY 2 pulled out of the dock at St. Nazaire, aided by tugs. With about 300 people gathered to watch, she headed out to sea on three days of sea trials. Captain Ronald Warwick, who served as master on QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 for 14 years, is overseeing the huge liner.

NORWAY Silent
September 25: Since the tragic engine room explosion in Miami, SS NORWAY (ex FRANCE) remains laid up at Bremerhaven. Earlier in the month a rumour of continued use as an hotel ship was bandied about in maritime circles, but with no new news and the announcement by NCL of two new ships on order, her future appears clouded.

NORWEGIAN CROWN Caught in Net
September 25: Norwegian Cruise Line's NORWEGIAN CROWN (ex CROWN ODYSSE) sustained damage to her port side propeller when it came in contact with a fishing net while sailing from Quebec City to Boston. The U.S. Coast Guard was notified upon discovery of the damage and repairs are expected to be completed by this evening. The ship will likely be one day delayed.

QUEEN MARY 2 Trials
September 24: QUEEN MARY 2, the largest passenger ship ever built, will set sail for the first time from Saint-Nazaire. Her sea trials begin at 5:00 pm local time on Thursday, September 25 as the 150,000-tonne vessel will run between the French off-shore islands of Ile d'Yeu and Belle-Ile until Sunday. Shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique - a subsidiary of troubled engineering giant Alstom, which was saved from bankruptcy this week by a state-backed EUR 3.2-billion (US$ 3.7-billion) rescue package - is counting on the QUEEN MARY 2 to be a huge success. Over 450 engineers and technicians will be aboard the Cunard liner during this weekend's tests to ensure that she meets the necessary standards for maritime certification.

Discord on MELODY
September 23: Press reports state that Mediterranean Shipping Company's MV MELODY (ex ATLANTIC, STARSHIP ATLANTIC) was slighly damaged in Turkey. The 1982-built MV MELODY ran into the pier at Kusadasi harbour during a storm. No passengers were reported injured, but all had to wait several days while the ship was repaired. Passenger were off loaded in Venice on Monday, September 22.

Remember Luis?
September 23: Discovery Channel is making a documentary and wants to hear from passengers and crew who were aboard QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 in September 1995 when the ship encountered Hurricane Luis enroute to New York and was struck a by 90-foot rogue wave. Please contact Tanya Bandmann at tbandmann@comcast.net

Norwegian Twins
September 19: Star Cruises, parent of Norwegian Cruise Lines, announced orders for two new ships for delivery in Fall 2005 and Spring 2006, continuing an expansion program that has seen a new ship added every year since Star Cruises acquired the long-established brand. Both ships will be built at Meyer Werft in Germany. The two vessels, known currently as hull S.667 and S.668, will be modified versions of the NORWEGIAN DAWN and STAR design. Tonnage is estimated at 93,000 GRT and the passenger capacity of each will be 2,400 lower berths. The two ships together will cost approximately Euro 703 million (or US$790 million at current exchange rates), including allowances for owner-supplied items. Construction will begin on the first ship at the end of September and Meyer Werft expects to deliver same vessel in a record 22 months from contract signing.

A Royal Bigger than a Queen?
September 19: Today the Kvaerner group announced that it has finalized a contract with Royal Caribbean Cruises to build the world's largest cruise ship, which will be constructed at the Masa Yard in Finland for delivery in May 2006 with an option for a second ship for 2007. Dubbed the Ultra Voyager, plans have her at 1,112-feet long and 18 stories high, accommodating 3,600 passengers with a crew of 1,400. Royal Caribbean estimated that the total cost of the project would be about US$720 million. At the same time, Royal Caribbean decided not to exercise its options for fifth and sixth Radiance-class vessels at Meyer Werft.

Phantom of the SILJA OPERA
September 19: With 447 passengers and 175 crew on board, Silja Line's SILJA OPERA experienced a serious steering problem which left the ship out of control at St. Petersburg, Russia on September 17. The 1980-built ship collided with several ships and a crane, leaving her scratched and with two damaged life boats, but with no injuries to passengers or crew. The 25,611-gt vessel sailed from St Petersburg at 11:30 PM that evening and arrived safely at Helsinki, Finland the following day.

SILJA OPERA has suffered a number of setbacks since she started life as SALLY ALBATROSS. First, she was destroyed by fire in drydock. The hull was used to build a new ship, also called SALLY ALBATROSS. She struck rocks near Porkkala, Finland, in 1994. All the passengers and crew were rescued. In 1994 she was chartered to Norwegian Cruise Line as LEEWARD, then in 2000 to Star Cruises for three years as SUPERSTAR TAURUS. In November 2001 Star Cruises cancelled the charter and she was returned to her Finish owners, Silja Line, for cruises from Helsinki to Tallinn and Riga and was renamed SILJA OPERA. In May 2003 she was returned to drydock for repairs to her ice-damaged propellers.

KALAKALA Not Sold South?
September 18: On September 13 we reported the sale of KALAKALA to Charles Medlin, but press reports put this deal in question. A deadline for payment was allegedly missed and therefore the buyer is in default, however he claims to be moving ahead with the plan that would see her returned to San Francisco. Meanwhile the auction company has offered the ship to the second-highest bidders from the auction, a Seattle group that came in at $135,000. The dealine to pay is the close of business Thursday September 18

Lamb To The Slaughter
September 18: OCEANBREEZE, the immaculate, mechanically sound current incarnation of the 1955 Harland and Wolff-built Shaw Savill liner SOUTHERN CROSS, passed through the Suez Canal on 12 September enroute to the shipbreakers at Alang, India. Launched by Queen Elizabeth II and revolutionary for establishing "engines aft" as a major ocean-going passenger ship design trend, her passing is a particularly heavy note in a somber symphony of ship disposals this year.

ASTORIA Vanishes
September 17: London newspapers report that MV ASTORIA docked in Greenwich last week with 492 passengers and 250 crew on board. Shortly thereafter she was placed under a "voluntary detention agreement", but fled at 3AM, returning to Bremerhaven. According to the London port health authority, officers found that both the crew and passenger galleys were infested with vermin. Inspectors issued an emergency prohibition notice forbidding the preparation of food on board. Detention required the liner to stay in port until the infestation had been treated. The port health authority is considering legal action against her owners and crew.

Alang Updates
September 16: DOLPHIN IV (ex ZION, AMELIA DE MELLO, ITHACA) was finished off in August. Demolition of SAGAR (ex FERDINAND DE LESSEPS, DELPHI, LA PERLA, LA PALMA, LADY ALMA) is now up to the forward superstructure. SAGAR arrived on 14 July after departing Limassol on 23 June. Work on BIG BOAT (ex TRANSVAAL CASTLE, SA VAAL, FESTIVALE, ISLANDBREEZE, BIG RED BOAT III) was temporarily halted in August after a small portion of her focsle was shorn off. It was to resume this month after safe removal of more of her fittings. She, too, was beached on 14 July. VEESHAM IX (ex TRELLEBORG, NISSOS KYPROS, etc.) arrived on 10 July, was beached on 15 September, and is expected to be completely demolished by 15 October. Meanwhile, OCEANBREEZE (ex SOUTHERN CROSS, CALYPSO, AZURE SEAS) is due any day from her long slow crossing from Freeport via Gibraltar and Suez.

APOLLON, Two STELLAS Stricken
September 16: In a very sad announcement confirmed by sources in Piraeus, Royal Olympic Cruises has sold APOLLON (ex EMPRESS OF CANADA, MARDI GRAS, STAR OF TEXAS, LUCKY STAR), STELLA SOLARIS (ex CAMBODGE, STELLA V), and STELLA OCEANIS (ex APHRODITE) for $5.17 million to scrap merchants who will trade and deliver the veteran vessels to Indian shipbreakers. The three ships are currently laid up at Eleusis and are being destored for their one way journeys to Alang.

MOBY MAGIC Aground
September 13: Passenger ferry MOBY MAGIC was towed to the port of Golfo September 12 after she had run aground off Sardinia. She was enroute to Olbia from Livorno, when she ran onto a sand bar about 5 km from Porto Cervo. All 80 passengers and 80 crew members safely abandoned ship after the engine-room flooded. Some passengers were taken to nearby hospitals with minor injuries. The vessel's master, Gianfranco Cutugno, said a navigation error could not be ruled out as the ferry entered the shallow approaches to the port.

SAPPHIRE PRINCESS launched
September 13: Princess Cruises SAPPHIRE PRINCESS, formerly DIAMOND PRINCESS, was launched today in Nagasaki at a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. About 40% of the 113,000 gt cruise ship was destroyed by fire last year. SAPPHIRE PRINCESS is expected to be delivered to P&O Princess Cruises PLC, next May.

Seattle's KALAKALA Sold South!
September 13: Charles Medlin, a Californian businessman, bought the famous art deco ferry at auction for $140,000. Laid up in Seattle, the KALAKALA is moored at the north end of Lake Union near Gasworks Park. Press reports say that Medlin intends to spend up to $35 million to restore the ferry and transform it into a floating automotive museum on the San Francisco waterfront. After immediate repairs are made at Lake Union Drydock Co., the ship will be towed from Puget Sound to San Francisco by September 30, Medlin says. The sale ends years of effort to save a historic vessel. The hull of the KALAKALA was originally part of the steamship PERALTA, built by Moore Shipyards in Oakland, CA, in 1926. When the upper decks of the PERALTA were burned in an arson fire, the wreck was sold and towed from San Franicsco to Lake Washington Shipyards were she is transformed in 1935 to a streamlined art deco ferry. The KALAKALA completed her final run as a Washington State ferry in 1967 and was sold to American Freezerships Co., to be converted to a crab-processing vessel in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. In the mid-1980s, artist Peter Bevis saw the ship near Kodiak and eventually organized an effort to rescue her. She was towed back to Elliot Bay after 32 years. After many years of plans and layups KALAKALA Foundation, which had been formed to restore her, declared bankruptcy in March 2003.

NORWAY To Netherlands? Hotel in Holland?
September 13: A Dutch newspaper reported that the laid up SS NORWAY may become a hotel/theater/nightclub/casino ship in the port of Amsterdam. The article suggested that a preliminary agreement had been signed with delivery expected at Bremerhaven in September. Mr. Joop Post is reputed to be the man behind the plan to buy the SS REMBRANDT (ex ROTTERDAM) in a sale that did not materialize early this year. (Thanks, Mr. Hoffman, for this part of the story). This latest news follows an item in a Norwegian newpaper about cruise line veteran Knut Utstein Kloster who bought the SS FRANCE in 1980. Concerned that Star Cruises might scrap NORWAY following the fatal the engine-room explosion in Miami, Kloster speculated that he should buy back NORWAY to sail her around the world as a wing of the United Nations.

US Ghost Fleet To Blighty?
September 11: A fleet of 13 decrepit U.S. ships will sail for a British scrapyard passing through the English Channel. The dilapidated navy supply ships, part of the U.S. "ghost fleet," are headed to a special dock in Teesside, northeast England. Britain's Able UK, was awarded the U.S. Maritime Administration contract to scrap the vessels in late July, The first of the ships, which have been laid up for years will set off from their anchorage points on the James River, Virginia in the next month. Britain's Maritime and Coastguard agency (MCA) said it was "premature" for the firm to talk of bringing the vessels to the UK before the plan had been authorized.

Last US Built Liner Doomed?
September 11: The laid up 1958-built SS ENCHANTED ISLE (former ARGENTINA, VEENDAM, BRAZIL, VEENDAM, MONARCH STAR, VEENDAM, BERMUDA STAR, ENCHANTED ISLE, COMMODORE HOTEL) is being readied to sail on her final voyage to the beaches of Alang, India for scrapping. The former American ship has been laid up at Violet, Louisiana since the demise of Commodore Cruises in late 2000. In 2002 World Explorer Cruises published a plan to use her as UNIVERSE AMBASSADOR, but later pulled out of the deal. The ENCHANTED ISLE is in remarkably good condition despite some cosmetic mildew and exterior weathering. Her furnishings and interior fittings are well preserved. A recent news report had her sold for US$2.08 million to scrap merchants. A website on the vessel's history from a personal perspective can be found by clicking here SS ARGENTINA, created by Ginger Casey and Bill Vinso.

USS NEW YORK To Receive World Trade Center Steel
September 11: Steel from the ruins of New York's World Trade Center is being melted down to form the bow stem of a new Navy vessel to be named the USS NEW YORK. The section, cast in a foundry, will then be shipped to Northrop Grumman's shipyard at Avondale, outside New Orleans. Construction of the new US$850 million ship will take about three years to complete.

US lake cruiser THE SPIRIT OF ETHAN ALLEN Grounded
September 10: Burlington, Vermont's luxury dining yacht THE SPIRIT OF ETHAN ALLEN ran onto a shoal on Lake Champlain off Juniper Island. With more than 200 people aboard, she was aground for a brief four hours until a tugboat pulled it clear. No passengers were injured. The Coast Guard said a warning buoy was in the right place, despite being 50 yards off its position. It was reported that Lake Champlain's buoys are not precise because there is no commercial shipping on the lake. The Coast Guard said the changing lake level often gets vessels in trouble.

Knego's Summer Ship Video Swamped
September 4: After only two months since the release of his newest installment of the ongoing series, THE WORLD's PASSENGER FLEET - VOLUME SIX the limited edition video is rapidly selling out. Knego's global video journeys continue combing the new and old offering a cornucopia of liners at rest and at sea. Including such classics as MV AKDENIZ, MV FUNCHAL, MY SAVARONA, SS OCEANBREEZE, MV ASTRA(pre MV ARION), SS THE TOPAZ and MV WORLD RENAISSANCE, Peter continues to document the true survivors still providing useful service to their owners. We also visit the half sunk SS CATALINA, the since-departed SS DOLPHIN IV, the partially submerged SS MELODY, the burnt out ROMANTICA, and SEABREEZE I, as he updates some previously covered ships' current status. There are thought provoking views of the land-locked MV SEA WORLD (MINGHUA) surrounded by landscaping in her parklike setting. Others that appear and have recently gone the way of the torch or Davey Jones' locker include SS STAR OF VENICE and ill fated SS SUN. There are several ships in lay-up status featured, including the MV SEA HARMONY (ex STATENDAM), MV SHOTA RUSTAVELI and MV TARAS SHEVCHENKO. Peter Knego is contributing editor of Maritimematters.

Fabian Reschedules
September 4: As Hurricane Fabian approached Bermuda, the cruise lines reacted. NORDIC EMPRESS sailed a day early for New York. Leaving earlier than planned were ZENITH and NORWEGIAN SEA, both also destined for New York. HORIZON made for Philadelphia, while NORWEGIAN MAJESTY skipped off early to Boston. The SEVEN SEAS NAVIGATOR was scheduled to be in Bermuda when hurricane forecasters said that Fabian would hit, so, instead, she sailed for Canada.

Alstom Wins LIBERTY
September 4: Alstom has secured a major shipbuilding project contract to supply equipment for CARNIVAL LIBERTY. The 3,500-passengers ship, which will be built by Fincantieri at the Port of Monfalcone in the Gulf of Trieste, Italy, will feature two shaftlines of 20MW 142 rpm each. The contract involves the supply of an electrical package for the Carnival Cruise Lines vessel which is scheduled for delivery in July 2005.

VII & VIII Revived
September 4: According to the latest cruise industry reports, RENAISSANCE VII and RENAISSANCE VIII will be sailing for Mauritius Island Cruises. The Oslo-based company acquired the 114-passenger vessels from ship managing company Martinoli. The two all-suite ships will operate year-round, seven-day cruises from Port Louis, Mauritius, sailing to the islands of Rˇunion and Rodrigues, plus two deserted islands. Both ships have sailed from long-time lay up at Marseilles to Union Naval in Barcelona for refitting.

CELEBRATION Slowed
September 3: CELEBRATION was in the media today, reported to be suffering a problem with the port side propulsion system which caused the ship to reduce speed. The vessel is expected to arrive late at Galveston, returning to port after a five-day cruise to Mexico. The following cruise, a four-day trip to Cozumel will be shortened into a three-day cruise to nowhere departing September 4th.

A'Rosa Brand Snipped
September 3: Carnival announced that it will fold the A'Rosa brand into its other German operation AIDA. A'ROSA BLU (ex CROWN PRINCESS) will join the AIDA fleet in April 2004 as the AIDABLU. The riverboats will be sold to Arkona Touristik.

OCEANBREEZE On the Move (updated)
September 3: It was reported today that Imperial Majesty's former OCEANBREEZE which left Grand Bahama Shipyard on August 25 under her own power for Gibraltar, arrived September 3 to take on bunkers. She will sail for the Suez Canal enroute to the scrappers beach at Alang, India. A previous plan for use as a static hotel in Jamaica appears to have fallen through.

REGAL PRINCESS Skips Stop
September 2: The Norwalk-type virus has struck the REGAL PRINCESS, causing the ship to skip a stop in Canada. It was reported by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials that at least 322 passengers had fallen ill onboard the ship, which is now docked in New York. The ship had sailed on August 18 from Copenhagen, Denmark on a 16-day trip with stops including Britain, Ireland and Iceland. Princess Cruises said passengers started to get ill on the third day of the cruise and immediately put measures into place that were developed with the CDC to stop the virus. Those measures including dispatching specially trained teams to disinfect the ship in mid-voyage. The norovirus -- which includes Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses -- caused thousands of cruise ship passengers to fall ill last year.

P&O names PACIFIC SKY's Mate
September 2: P&O Cruises Australia today named their second vessel PACIFIC SUN, which will be based permanently in Australia next year. The 1900-passenger PACIFIC SUN will be the largest cruise-ship based year-round in Australia, and will take the company's Australian cruising capacity from 61,000 to 150,000. She will be joining the PACIFIC SKY (ex FAIRSKY, SKY PRINCESS). Currently sailing the Caribbean as Carnival's JUBILEE, the future SUN will undergo a multi-million dollar refit before repositioning to Australia. She will offer South Pacific cruises from Sydney and Brisbane, where she will be based for a season in 2005.

Former Canadian Pacific "Jewel" Returns to Canadian Waters
September 1: The 1956-built THE TOPAZ (ex EMPRESS OF BRITAIN, QUEEN ANNA MARIA, CARNIVALE, FIESTA MARINA, OLYMPIC) made a triumphant early afternoon arrival in Vancouver as part of her first world circumnavigation for Japanese-based charterers Peaceboat. Her gleaming white, riveted hull was led by two tugs to a berth adjacent to the Ballantyne cruise terminal. A three hour visit by Maritimematters contributor Peter Knego (a former passenger from the ship's days as CARNIVALE and OLYMPIC) found the sturdy, historic vessel in excellent condition. At just after 7:00 PM on September 1, with a snow-capped Mt. Baker as a backdrop, she headed out of the harbor and into a golden sunset, making a magnificent sight from the Lion's Gate Bridge. THE TOPAZ last sailed for British-based Thomson Holidays and will remain under charter to Peaceboat until 2006. A full history and tour of this wonderful liner will soon be coming to Maritimematters.

THE EMPRESS Sold?
September 1: THE EMPRESS (ex-SUNWARD) built in 1966, was reported sold for US$1.2 million, but industry sources say the deal is off. A further interest from Chinese bidders has emerged.

Celebrity Suit
August 27: It was reported that Celebrity Cruises filed a $300 million lawsuit August 26, against Rolls Royce and Alstom Power Conversion, co-producers of a ship pod- propulsion system, to recover lost revenue associated with failing pods. The lawsuit was filed in state court in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The lawsuit charges that the Rolls Royce and Alstom Power Conversion pods, brand-named Mermaid, have failed repeatedly, resulting in cancelled cruises. The failures cost the company hundreds of million of dollars, for which the lawsuit seeks restitution. The lawsuit further claims that Rolls Royce and Alstom Power Conversion misrepresented their product. Mermaid pods are installed on four Celebrity ships -- MILLENNIUM, SUMMIT, INFINITY and CONSTELLATION. Propulsion pods consist of an electrical motor and a propeller. All four had one or more mechanical or electrical problems with the pods, which caused the ships to be taken out of service. There are, and have been, no safety issues with any of these ships. All have been given clearance to sail by the U.S. Coast Guard and the ships' classification society.

It's scrap!
August 26: In dreadful news for the liner aficionado, the SEAWIND CROWN was reported to have been sold to Indian breakers for US$1.93 million, and the ENCHANTED ISLE for US$2.08 million. It was also reported that SS NORWAY was valued for a breakers price at US $15.00 million, though her fate is undecided.

Americans Take Over THE WORLD
August 30: It was reported in maritime circles that the Norwegian celebrity investors Knut Kloster jr., Einar Chr. Nagell-Erichsen, Bryn. Skaugen and Petter C. G. Sundt are selling themselves out of the company that created THE WORLD (a luxury apartment ship concept) at a loss. American apartment owners will take over the vessel, which was built at Fosen Mekaniske Verksteder in Rissa Chairman of Residensea Ltd., a Norwegian newspaper confirmed that new owners are entering the company which owns and operates THE WORLD.

In MICHELANGELO's Wake
August 25: COSTA FORTUNA, built at the Finacantieri shipyard in Sestri Ponente, was launched today. At 105,000 GT and 272 meters long and 38 meters wide and 66 meters high she is the largest passenger ship built at the yard. She has 1358 cabins for 3470 passengers and is the first cruise ship launched in Sestri Ponente since the ocean liner MICHELANGELO. COSTA FORTUNA will begin service in the Costa Crociera fleet in November 2003. At present she is headed for Palermo for fitting out and then will return to Genoa on September 6th for sea trials.

RCCL "mum" on Ultra-voyager
August 25: It was reported that Royal Caribbean Cruises CEO Richard Fain said the company was staying "quiet" about their plans for a 3,600-passenger, 160,000-ton megaship, dubed the "Ultra Voyager". The ship would be larger than the QUEEN MARY 2, currently under construction in France. The proposed vessel, for which the company has an agreement with Finnish shipbuilder Kavaerner Masa-Yards, will be a topic at a board of directors meeting in mid-September.

SERENADE Named
August 22: Actress Whoopi Goldberg christened RCCL's SERENADE OF THE SEAS, becoming a two-time ship godmother (she also christened the VIKING SERENADE, which left the fleet last year). SERENADE OF THE SEAS a 2,110-passenger Radiance-class ship is almost identical to the BRILLIANCE OF THE SEAS which made her debut last year.

Radisson Sells SONG OF FLOWER
August 19: According to Mark Conroy, president and CEO of Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, SONG OF FLOWER has been sold to Compagnie des Iles du Ponant (operator of Le Ponant and Le Levant) and Tapis Rouge International who will market the ship outside North America. The 180-passenger vessel will sail a farewell season of seven Western Europe and Mediterranean voyages August 30 - October 15. She was built in Norway in 1974 as the ro-ro BEGONIA and later converted to the EXPLORER STARSHIP at Lloyd Werft in 1986. She became SONG OF FLOWER in 1989. Radisson will retain rights to her name. Captain Dag Dvergastein (currently master of the SEVEN SEAS VOYAGER), who was at the helm of SONG OF FLOWER for much of her career will command her final three cruises on Oct. 1, 8 and 15. It is reported that she will be operated in the French market, French will be the official language on board, and she will fly the French flag. Her new name will be announced at the end of September. Philippe Videau, ceo of CIP and Christian Nicaud, ceo of Tapis have signed an agreement to create a 50/50 company. The vessel will undergo technical modification and interior refurbishment this winter in a Mediterranean ship yard. Her first cruises are planned for May 2004 and will include Mediterranean itineraries from Nice and Northern Europe. The ship is scheduled to sail in the Patagonian fjords in winter 2004-2005.

Oldest Steamer gets new life -updated
August 7: From danube-research.com comes this news: Romanian ship owner Navrom has refitted the 1854-built paddle steamer TUDOR VLADIMIRESCU as a luxury cruise ship. Built in Budapest in 1854 as the tug CROATIA for the DDSG, the vessel passed into the hands of Romanian Fluvial Navigation (NFR) in 1919. She was rebuilt as a passenger vessel at Turnu Severin Shipyard (now Severnav), and renamed SARMISEGETUSA (the ancient capital of Dacia). She was used for internal passenger services, mostly between Braila and Sulina. In 1923 she was renamed GRIGORE MANU after a politician involved in the development of Romanian navigation. She received her present name shortly after the Communist Party took power, referring to the leader of the 1821 Revolution against the Ottomans. TUDOR VLADIMIRESCU was completely rebuilt at Orsova Shipyard in the late 1950s. The hull, engine and paddles of the paddle steamer are all original. In latter years TUDOR VLADIMIRESCU was used on luxury day-cruises for tourists in the Danube Delta; however she has been laid-up with minimal maintenance since the early 1990s. From early 2000 to early 2002 TUDOR VLADIMIRESCU was in the Galati Damen Shipyard, where she was gutted in preparation for a refit. However funds dried up and the vessel was laid-up at Chiciu once more. Between September 2002 and August 2003 the vessel was restored both in Galati and at the Aker Shipyard in Braila. Click here for full article, diagrams and photographs www.danube-research.com/TVlad.html.

BIG BOAT Being Broken
August 6: The actual dismantling of the 1961-built BIG BOAT (ex TRANSVAAL CASTLE, SA VAAL, FESTIVALE, ISLANDBREEZE, BIG RED BOAT III) has begun. Fittings are being sorted and removed from the ship as she sits on the beach at Alang, India. A half dozen or so holes have been cut into either side of her towering bow and some of the port side fo'c'sle bulwarks have been razed down. The very tip of her bow has already been sent crashing into the mud that supports her bulbous forefoot. The feeling among many who are assigned the brutal task of scrapping this once important passenger ship is that her condition is surprisingly good and she should have been able to continue to sail for another few years.

SERENADE OF THE SEAS Delivered
July 30: Royal Caribbean's Radiance-class SERENADE OF THE SEAS was delivered at a ceremony in Eemshaven, Netherlands. Built at Meyerwerft Yard in Papenburg, Germany, she will be named in New York City on August 22 by godmother Whoopi Goldberg. On August 25, she will begin sailing from New York on New England/Canada itineraries.

MONA LISA On the Rocks
July 28: It has been widely reported that MONA LISA (ex KUNGSHOLM, SEA PRINCESS, VICTORIA) the 1966-built liner operated by Germany's Holiday Kreuzfahrten, ran aground and damaged her propeller when she was leaving Magdalene fjord northwest of Svalbard inside the Arctic Circle, late Friday July 25, 2003. MONA LISA was able to free herself and continued the voyage to Ny Alesund where she arrived later the same evening. Divers were brought in to assess the damage. With the agreement of the classification society Lloyd's Register, the ship left Ny Alesund on Sunday for Longyearbyen. The damage has been reported as minor. There were no reported injuires and the passengers are currently being to be flown back to Germany.
For full coverage of MONA LISA see Peter Knego's history of KUNGSHOLM to VICTORIA KUNGSHOLM to VICTORIA on maritimematters.

WINDSOR CASTLE In The Press
July 22: Liverpool's Daily Post carried a report of a delegation from Wirral Council and local business going to Piraeus to view the former RMS WINDSOR CASTLE. They plan to inspect the vessel with a view to berthing it at the former Cammell Laird shipyard, on the Mersey, where she was launched by the Queen Mother in 1959. Any Mersey bid is said to face tough competition from interests in Southampton and Edinburgh. Wirral businessman Gerry White, who bought 66-acres of the former Cammell Laird site last month, is among the delegation.
For full coverage of WINDSOR CASTLE as MARGARITA L see Peter Knego's history in pictures on maritimematters.

NORWAY To Lay Up
July 21: Norwegian Cruise Line announced today it will lay up the SS NORWAY at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany, until the process of evaluating bids from shipyards has been completed. The delivery timeframe for the new replacement boiler is now estimated to be between seven and twelve months (significantly longer than first indicated to NCL). Marine boilers are manufactured by specialized companies and then delivered to a shipyard for installation. The detailed specification and bidding process has revealed that no boiler maker is able to meet the ambitious repair deadline initially indicated to NCL by the shipyards. NCL now estimates that the earliest the ship could return to service is in the spring of 2004. Previously the company announced the ship would return for the October 5th sailing after more than four months out of service.