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SHIPPING NEWS 2007 March - April
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Move Over, MAUI!
April 30: The Matson container ship MAUI has vacated the adjacent berth, allowing a mostly unencumbered view of mastless OCEANIC (ex INDEPENDENCE, SEA LUCK I, OCEANIC INDEPENDENCE, INDEPENDENCE), please click here for INDEPENDENCE photograph, shown at San Francisco on April 27, 2007.BLUE News
April 27: The latest "final" hearing to decide the fate of BLUE LADY (ex FRANCE, NORWAY) at Alang has been postponed by the Indian Supreme Court from April 30 to mid-May. For the latest photo of the beached, historic liner (taken on April 25), please click here.Meanwhile, SYDNEY (ex COPENHAGEN, ODESSA) has been scrapped back to the funnel and MONTE (ex FREE STATE MARINER, MONTEREY) is now virtually gone.
QUEEN MARY Bidding
April 27: The Los Angeles Times reports that a Southern California developer, O&S Holdings, has offered US$41 million to buy the QUEEN MARY lease and surrounding grounds in Long Beach. Plans include refurbishing QUEEN MARY and developing a retail and entertainment complex. Current operators, Queen's Seaport Development Inc., filed for bankruptcy in March 2005. A court-appointed trustee said an offer will be selected by summer."Earth" Ship
April 22: Holland America's ZAANDAM was fitted with a new cutting edge emission reduction system during her most recent drydocking in time to depart Vancouver for Earth Day (today, April 22). The US$1.5 million "sea water scrubber system" uses sea water to safely remove harmful airborne particulates from the ship's exhaust.ROYAL Debut
April 19: The ROYAL PRINCESS (ex R EIGHT, MINERVA) took on her first passengers today at Barcelona. The 30,200 gt, 710 passenger ship joins former sisters TAHITIAN PRINCESS (ex R FOUR) and PACIFIC PRINCESS (2) (ex R THREE) in the Princess Cruises fleet. A dual christening at Santorini with the newly completed EMERALD PRINCESS was cancelled following the SEA DIAMOND sinking earlier this month.FRAM Delivered
April 23: The Hurtigruten Group's 12,700 gt MS FRAM was delivered today by Fincantieri at Monfalcone, Italy. A delay caused her April 20 Venice-Barcelona maiden sailing to be cancelled. FRAM will now deadhead directly to Barcelona, Spain with her first passenger voyage beginning April 30 and ending in Oslo on May 18. The following day, HRH Crown Princess Mette Marit will name the ship at a public quayside event. The 328-berth, eight-deck cruise ship is the first to be built exclusively for sailing in Greenland from May through September.The ship is named after the polar ship built and used by several Norwegian explorers in the late 1800s. MS FRAM makes significant use of the Norway's culture, incorporating a Scandinavian decor with the extensive use of wool, leather and oak. . As with other vessels in the Hurtigruten Group, Ane Birthe Hove, from Nuuk in Greenland, was the FRAM's main contributing artist and commissions were contributed by other artists from Greenland and Norway. The marine architect, Arne Johansen, used terms from the Inuit language to describe the design philosophy of the ship's interior. FRAM will sail from Reykjavik, Iceland, beginning her Greenland season in May.
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April 22: Royal Caribbean International's newest giant, LIBERTY OF THE SEAS (which shares the title as the world's biggest cruise ship with FREEDOM OF THE SEAS), arrived at Southampton today. Crowds turned out to see a firework welcome from Mayflower Park. The 160,000 gt ship was greeted by the the sound of whistles blowing from OCEANA, OCEAN VILLAGE TWO and AURORA as well as two military vessels docked at Marchwood. The 1,112 foot LIBERTY OF THE SEAS can carry 5,730 passengers and crew. A third vessel in her class, INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS, is due out in 2008.Advertisement:
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For more more on the book visit the Maritimematters ShippingmallEMERALD Emerges!
April 11: Princess Cruises' 113,000 gt EMERALD PRINCESS left on her maiden cruise today, a 12 night voyage that will call at Naples, Santorini, Rhodes, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Piraeus, Katakolon, Corfu, and Dubrovnik. A sister to last year's CROWN PRINCESS, she boasts a piazza-style atrium, various casual dining venues and the adults-only retreat called The Sanctuary in addition to the myriad of regular Grand Class Ship amenities.First Of Double-ended Trio Launched
April 19: The first of three new B.C. Ferries under construction at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft was officially launched today at Flensburg, Germany (near the Danish border). The new Super C-class ferry, COASTAL RENAISSANCE, slipped down the ways in a traditional launching, accompanied by school children waving Canadian flags. When the three ships are in operation they will be the largest double-ended ferries in the world at 160 meters long and 22,000 gt each. COASTAL INSPIRATION and COASTAL CELEBRATION are the names of the next two vessels in the class. All will feature ultra-fuel efficient diesel-electric propulsion systems. COASTAL RENAISSANCE is expected to head for Canada in October and go into service early in 2008.Event on QUEEN MARY
For those readers the West Coast of the US, Shawn Dake presents, "A Hodgepodge Of Ships": A slide presentation covering a year of ship watching that includes over 50 ocean liners and cruise ships, from a scrap yard view of the 1945-built GEN. WILLIAM O. DARBY to the christening of the PRIDE OF HAWAI'I in 2006. The presentation will also include cruises on REGAL EMPRESS, MARCO POLO and MSC OPERA. Saturday, May 5, 2007 at 1:00PM in the Caronia Room aboard the R.M.S. QUEEN MARY, Long Beach, CA.Bigger Baltic Boats
April 18: A contract has been signed between AS Tallink Grupp and Aker Yards for a large Baltic cruise ferry for delivery in the first quarter of 2009. The new vessel, currently known as CRUISE 5, will be a further development of the 2006-delivered MS GALAXY and her nearly completed sister. The ferry will be 212 meters long and 29 meters wide with a capacity for 2,800 passengers and a speed of 24.5 knots.From PRIDE To JADE
April 16: NCLA's PRIDE OF HAWAI'I will become parent company NCL's NORWEGIAN JADE early next year, however PRIDE will continue her seven-day round trip Honolulu itinerary for NCL America until her last voyage on January 28, 2008. (See story below, Losing PRIDE, April 11). The ship will be refitted from February 6 with a casino and new hull decoration added. Once reflagged in the Bahamas, NORWEGIAN JADE will be showcased to the travel industry at events in Los Angeles and Miami. Her repositioning voyage to Barcelona, Spain will begin March 30, 2008.Ferry Grounding Strands Passengers
April 16: Maypalad Shipping Lines' Cebu City-bound MV SAMAR STAR ran aground last night off the town of Leyte, stranding 141 passengers, four infants and 31 crew who had to spend the night on the grounded vessel. It was reported that the ferry is stuck on a sand bank. The search and rescue ship BRP BATANGAS rescued all the passengers and crew today at 2PM local time in inflatable boats, and returned them to Cebu City. The grounding occurred after a maneuver to pass another vessel, according to reports.A Home For The HOLM?
April 14: Stockholm based Lars Hemingstam has shared a very encouraging bit of information with the ocean liner community today:"Swedish entrepreneur Lars Hallgren, owner of Top Industri AB, has signed a letter of intent with Leonardo Shipping to acguire THE SCHOLAR SHIP (ex KUNGSHOLM of 1965) in 2010. The ship is to be docked in Gothenburg, Sweden, as a hotel, restaurant, and maritime museum. The two funnels with the Swedish American Line symbol, and the aft mast will be restored. Leading politicians of the City of Goteborg have assured Mr Hallgren of political support for the plan.
The project was presented on April 13, 2007, at a meeting at The Swedish Shipowners' Association in Gothenburg.
Mid-May Sinking?
April 12: The scheduled reefing of the 1944-built TEXAS CLIPPER (ex USS QUEENS, EXCAMBION) has been postponed a month to the middle of May. For the latest update, please go to: TEXAS CLIPPER TX State websiteDIAMOND Facets - Updated
April 12: In the aftermath of the SEA DIAMOND's sinking at Santorini on April 6, six crew members, including the captain, were indicted on charges of unintentional shipwreck and violation of international regulations to avoid crash and pollution. A spokesperson for the ship's owners, Louis Cruise Lines, acknowledged that "human error" was to blame for the incident. Meanwhile, the captain contended that sea currents caused the ship to hit the rocks and acknowledged that he tried to free the ship from the reef before evacuating the passengers, causing the ship to list severely and, ultimately sink.Meanwhile, the two missing passengers, Jean-Christophe Allain, 45, and his 16-year-old daughter, Maud, are still unaccounted for. In ongoing efforts, an ROV was deployed and divers were later sent to search for their bodies and to also retrieve the ship's voyage data recorder.
Although Santorini's beaches remain unthreatened (they are located on the other side of the island), fuel has leaked from the sunken vessel. A 100 meter wide oil slick has already been removed. The local government will not sue Louis, as the company will be undertaking costly and difficult measures to remove the remaining oil from the SEA DIAMOND's tanks once the wreck has settled.
Many of the SEA DIAMOND's passengers were returned to Piraeus by Golden Star Cruises' AEGEAN TWO (ex AUSONIA, IVORY -- also owned by Louis) and Louis' PERLA (ex SOUTHWARD, SEAWING).
The SEA DIAMOND's program of three and four night Aegean Cruises will be covered by various other ships in the forthcoming months, including the EMERALD (ex SANTA ROSA, REGENT RAINBOW), the ORIENT QUEEN (ex STARWARD, BOLERO) and SPIRIT (ex NIEUW AMSTERDAM). In addition, a short term charter of OCEANIC II/SCHOLARSHIP (ex KUNGSHOLM, SEA PRINCESS, VICTORIA, MONA LISA) has been taken to cover sailings through May.
Until now, Louis' only involvement in "at sea rescues" has been on the rescuing end, save for the engine room fire that disabled their CALYPSO (ex CANGURO VERDE, REGENT CALYPSO) in May of 2006 off the U.K., although there were no casualties and passengers did not have to abandon ship in that incident. In 1997, when Paradise Cruises' ROMANTICA burned off Limassol, Louis' PRINCESA VICTORIA safely retrieved all of that ship's passengers and crew. Last summer, during the evacuation of Lebanon, Louis' SERENADE (ex JEAN MERMOZ, MERMOZ), PRINCESA MARISSA (ex FINNHANSA, PRINSESSAN) and ORIENT PRINCESS (ex STARWARD, BOLERO) lent their assistance.
Losing PRIDE
April 11: Norwegian Cruise Lines announced today that it will withdraw its NCL America division's PRIDE OF HAWAI'I from the Hawaiian cruise market in February 2008. The company's staggering 2006 losses, caused by downward pricing pressure in the Hawaiian market and heavy foreign flag competition, are cited as causes. The ship will be reregistered in the Bahamas and proceed to Europe for a refit before joining NCL's European based fleet. Her new name has not been announced yet. NCL's chairman, Colin Veitch, stated, "We remain committed to building a strong U.S. Flag cruise business home ported in Hawaii, and we need to make sure that our other two ships, PRIDE OF ALOHA (ex NORWEGIAN SKY) and PRIDE OF AMERICA, are able to achieve acceptable profitability before we can confidently re-introduce PRIDE OF HAWAI'I."BAL "More" AL!
April 11: U.K.-based Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has contracted with Blohm and Voss of Hamburg to lengthen the BALMORAL, which is currently under charter to NCL as the NORWEGIAN CROWN. Following the charter, a 30 meter (approximately 100 foot) midsection will be added to the ship in November 2007, increasing the passenger capacity by 35% and providing more balconied cabins. The ship, which was built in 1988 as the CROWN ODYSSEY for Royal Cruise Line, will be given her new name, BALMORAL, when she enters service for Fred. Olsen in January of 2008.RAZZMATAZZ?- Update
April 9: Does a new life lie ahead for the former BREMERHAVEN, STELLA MARIS II, VIKING BORDEAUX, MADAGASCAR? Laid up at Durban following the collapse of her last operators, Indian Ocean Cruising, in late 2005, a website announcing the ship's purchase by local businessman, Ian Powell, is now online (www.razzmatazzoceancruises.co.za). If this new venture is fully realized, the ship would return to service following a refit as RAZZMATAZZ, to be permanently based in South Africa offering a program of two, three and five night cruises for newly formed Razzmatazz Ocean Cruises. In the interim, the ship's brokers and other interested parties have informed MaritimeMatters that no deal has been finalized and the ship is still on the market.SEA DIAMOND Sank - Update (3)
April 6: Following the evacuation of Louis Cruise Line's SEA DIAMOND (ex BIRKA PRINCESS) off Santorini, Greece, the ship sank shortly before 7AM local time, some 15 hours after the accident. What was at first reported as a safe evacuation turned tragic after two passengers (a man and his daughter) were unaccounted for. Louis Cruise Lines returned SEA DIAMOND's stranded passengers to Piraeus, Greece on the MV PERLA (ex SOUTHWARD, SEAWING) and SS AEGEAN TWO (ex AUSONIA, IVORY). The shipwreck lies in 140 meters of water, with bow just 5 meters from the surface. See web cam image of SEA DIAMOND and gorgeous photo of her at speed by Peter Knego on the Shipping News Photos page.SEA DIAMOND Emergency - Update (2)
April 5: Developing story: Reports are coming in that Louis Cruise Lines' SEA DIAMOND (ex BIRKA PRINCESS) ran aground a mile off Santorini, Greece. A spokesman for Louis, the Cypriot firm which operates the vessel, said a "controlled evacuation" was under way and there was no danger to passengers. The ship developed a serious list from being holed after it struck rocks, and at least ten vessels are at the scene. The passengers are mostly from Germany and the US. The 1986-built SEA DIAMOND issued a distress and is approximately 1 mile off Santorini. No reports of injuries have been received and a further report stated a tug was towing the ship towards the port at Santorini. The weather is calm and bright. See Shipping News Photos page for a picture of the ship as BIRKA PRINCESS.Dame Grand Opening!
April 3: Today De Rotterdam BV announced that the steamship ROTTERDAM will be opened to the public on March 31 2008. It is expected that the SS ROTTERDAM will be towed to Rotterdam in December or January, depending on weather conditions. About two months will be needed to put the ROTTERDAM in operation.Ship Cams Updated
April 1: The Ship Cam page on Maritime Matters has been updated. The NCL cams have been reinstated and a few non broadcasting Celebrity cams removed. We have added PRIDE OF ALOHA, NORWEGIAN PEARL and EXPLORER OF THE SEAS bridge cam links. Please click here for the ship cams.QUEEN MARY's 40th
April 2: Throughout April, local residents of Long Beach, California are invited to come aboard QUEEN MARY free of charge to kick off the 40th Anniversary celebration of the liner's 1967 Long Beach arrival. Free admission will include a self-guided tour, highlighted by a new chronological look at the ship's 70-year history entitled "Queen Mary Historic Exhibit: Her Story is History." Besides featuring furnishings, objects and documents from the ship's archives, the new interpretation is made more personal with revealing quotes and stories from former passengers and crew. For more information about QUEEN MARY, please visit www.queenmary.comHospital Ship Completes Trials
April 1: Mercy Ship's 499-foot 16, 572 gt AFRICA MERCY, (ex DRONNING INGRID, INGRID) a former Danish train ferry, successfully completed her North Sea sea trials March 29. The vessel underwent conversion to a hospital ship at a Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England shipyard. The original rail deck is now a purpose-built hospital and includes six state of the art operating theaters, an intensive care unit and ward bed space for up to 78 patients. Built in Denmark in 1980, the ship now has 484 berths, making her the world's largest non-governmental hospital ship. See Shipping News Photos page for details.LUSITANIA Revisited
April 1: Ireland's Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a LUSITANIA dive by Santa Fe venture capitalist Gregg Bemis who hopes to solve remaining mysteries about the sinking of the Cunard ship by a German submarine on May 7, 1915. The wreck lies within Ireland's territorial waters, approximately 12 miles off the southwest coast, 300 feet below the surface. Previously, a license for the dive had not been granted by Ireland, which claims the LUSITANIA is an archaeological site. Bemis will be searching for evidence of the cause of the second explosion heard by survivors. Many believe the ship was carrying high explosives and not just the munitions and chemicals listed on its manifest. Others argue an explosion in the ship's steam-generating plant was the cause. Bemis hopes to recover more items from the LUSITANIA for museums to display, although any valuable art rumored to have been on board the ship belongs to the Irish government. The dive may commence as early as summer 2008, when divers will cut a circular 6-foot hole in the hull to begin the exploration.Godmother Voted In
March 30: Royal Caribbean International has named a travel agent as Godmother of LIBERTY OF THE SEAS. An online public vote resulted in Donnalea Madaley of Ontario being selected from among more than 2,400 nominations of women travel agents demonstrating exemplary community service. Madaley will name the ship on May 18 and will receive US$25,000 from RCI for a service organization, "Hands Across the Nations", created by Madaley and her husband to assist community projects in countries ranging from Bolivia to Mali.Sensational Hoax
March 30: Carnival Cruise Lines' SENSATION sailed late from Port Canaveral last evening after a bomb hoax forced the vessel's evacuation. Local law enforcement searched and then cleared the ship to sail.DAWN's Dry Dock
March 29: NCL's NORWEGIAN DAWN will head for drydock in Boston, MA to replace a thrust bearing in the ship's Azipod propulsion system. NCL has scheduled the unplanned drydocking on May 29 and the ship will re-enter service on June 9. NORWEGIAN DAWN's itinerary has been changed to accommodate her reduced speed to limit further wear.MSC MAGNIFICA
March 29: Today, MSC Cruises announced it has signed a deal for a fourth 89,500 gt MUSICA vessel from the Aker/Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard at St. Nazaire, France. The 2,500 passenger Panamax ship, to be named MSC MAGNIFICA, will debut in 2010.AEGEAN TWO Debuts!
March 26: Golden Star Cruises started its season of three and four night Aegean cruises with the ravishing 1957-built SS AEGEAN TWO, the former AUSONIA, IVORY. In addition to the company's blue funnel with golden sun funnel colors, her new livery includes distinctive hull art. See Shipping News Photos page for details.Pulling The EMPRESS
March 26: Royal Caribbean International announced today that the 48,563 gt 2020 passenger MV EMPRESS OF THE SEAS (ex FUTURE SEAS, NORDIC EMPRESS) will be shifted to their Spanish-based subsidiary, Pullmantur Cruises, in March of 2008.Swan Song Reprise
March 15: Swan Hellenic Cruises, which was to be disbanded by Carnival Corporation owned P&O Cruises following the withdrawal of their only ship, the MINERVA II, on April 7, has been purchased by Lord Sterling, the former chairman of P&O. Sterling now owns the historic trademark and marketing rights and has begun a search for a new vessel to carry on the traditional, enrichment style cruising that was made famous by such vessels as ORPHEUS and the first MINERVA over the years. Meanwhile, the MINERVA II will transfer to Carnival's Princess subsidiary and become the ROYAL PRINCESS (2).Italy's New Lux Ships
March 18: Italian shipyard Fincantieri has announced newbuilding agreements with two cruise lines. Oceania Cruises agreed upon a pair of 65,000 gt ships for delivery in the autumn of 2010 and summer of 2011, while Silversea Cruises ordered a 36,000 gt ship with an option for one more. Oceania's new vessels are designed by Yran & Storbraaten, and represent an evolution of their three Regatta class (former R-ships), with greater speed and range.Specifications: Diesel electric, twin screws, 20 knot service speed, two bow thrusters, 825 feet long, 105 feet wide, 23 foot draft, 1,260 passengers, 9 passenger decks, 630 staterooms and suites, 93 percent with large, private teak verandas. They will be "green ships", employing advanced environmental systems and technology.
Silversea's newbuild specifications are less detailed: 36,000 gt, 540 passengers, "ultra-luxury".
Alang Time On The Beach And Still No Decision!
March 12: The Indian Supreme Court has given the Gujarat Maritime Board, the Technical Experts Committee, and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board three months to advise if certain environmental stipulations can be met for the dismantling of BLUE LADY (ex FRANCE, NORWAY). This is the latest in delays for a decision on the fate of the famed ship, which was beached on August 15, 2006. Although the court has determined that BLUE LADY cannot now be removed from the embankment, the newest concern seems to be over whether 80 percent of the ten metric tons of asbestos on board can be reused as claimed, how asbestos dust will be contained during its removal, and which agency will be entrusted to oversee the work.Meanwhile, cutting of MONTE (ex FREE STATE MARINER, MONTEREY) has continued rapidly. Her lightened hull has been dragged up to the shore and her funnel has been toppled. Stripping and initial dismantling of SYDNEY (ex COPENHAGEN, ODESSA) is well underway and TROPICANA is now gone.
San Francisco Bay Blog
March 11: Peter Knego sends his illustrated Bay Area Blog from San Francisco with March sightings of the former INDEPENDENCE, USS POTOMAC (ex ELEKTRA), XANADU 2 (ex WAPPEN VON HAMBURG, etc) and JEREMIAH O'BRIEN.Near Miss
March 9: A power failure on board Swedish freighter BALTIC BRIGHT (also incorrectly reported as BALTIC PRIDE or BALTIC POINT) on the Sea of Aland caused a near miss with 1990-built ice-class ro-ro/passenger ferry, SILJA SERENADE, as she sailed for Stockholm. Fast reaction from the officers on the bridge of the Finnish ship prevented a collision. Reports of the ships' relative distance vary from 60 to 200 meters. ÊRadio contact between the two vessels was established only after the incident. None of SILJA SERENADE's 1,900 passengers were injured.Tossed PRIDE
March 9: Portsmouth, UK-based P&O ferry PRIDE OF BILBAO (ex OLYMPIA) arrived at Bilbao on time on March 7th, but excessive wind speed prevented the ship from docking at the Spanish port until 10:30 AM March 8. Over six hundred passengers had to wait out the ferocious storm for 20 hours. Only one passenger suffered minor injuries while cars were damaged on the vehicle deck as 100 mph winds and 25-foot waves battered the 1986-built ship.Speed of SERENA
March 9: Costa's 112,000gt COSTA SERENA departs Fincantieri's yard in Sestri Ponente today for a voyage across the Tyrrhenian Sea to Fincantieri's Palermo shipyard for hull cleaning and coating. After the work has been completed, COSTA SERENA will return to Sestri Ponente while undergoing sea trials, reportedly sailing at over 23 knots continuously for an eight hour period. The 3,780-passenger COSTA SERENA will be delivered May 15 with the official naming ceremony in Marseilles, France on May 19. Costa's new flagship will sail from Venice for her maiden cruise on May 26. She will be the 12th Costa vessel in service.DIVA Kisses Meyer Farewell
March 8: AIDADIVA was floated out from the covered Meyer Werft shipyard at Papenburg, Germany on March 6, in preparation for her journey down the narrow Ems River for fitting out at Emden. She is expected to arrive March 10. The 252 meter cruise ship for AIDA Cruises of Rostock can be seen in the covered dock at Meyer Werft on the Shipping News Photos page. AIDADIVA is the first of four new club ships for the company aimed specifically at the German speaking cruise market. The 2030-passenger vessel is scheduled for a naming ceremony April 16. The AIDADIVA will spend her first winter season based in Tenerife, sailing to Madeira and other Canary Islands.FREEDOM Named
March 4: Carnival Corporation's 110,000-gt CARNIVAL FREEDOM was officially named today in Venice, Italy at a ceremony presided over by former supermodel Kathy Ireland. FREEDOM sails on its inaugural voyage, a nine day Mediterranean cruise, March 5,. The new ship is the 22nd in the Carnival fleet.Endy For INDY?
March 1: A call has reportedly been put out to members of the Vallejo-based California Maritime Academy to assist in the removal of fittings from the OCEANIC (ex INDEPENDENCE, SEA LUCK I, OCEANIC INDEPENDENCE) at San Francisco on March 7. The ship has been laid up in various parts of the San Francisco Bay region since the collapse of American Classic Voyages in 2001. She was purchased at auction by Norwegian Cruise Line, who had originally intended to operate the ship as part of their Norwegian Cruise Lines America division. In May of 2006 at the christening of NCLA's PRIDE OF HAWAI'I, however, NCL CEO Colin Veitch stated the INDEPENDENCE was in poor condition and plans to bring her back into service had basically been shelved.MONA, Lease Her!
March 1: It has been announced that RCI-owned Pullmantur Cruises will be leasing the classic MONA LISA (ex KUNGSHOLM, SEA PRINCESS, VICTORIA) for Spanish-based cruising as the OCEANIC II over the next three years, putting an end to speculation that the lovely liner would operate for Metropolis Tur. MONA LISA is also being chartered to sail as the SCHOLAR SHIP (See February 7th item blelow).Click here for previous SHIPPING NEWS
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