Thorco Liva - was looking for work

The multi-purpose general cargo ship Thorco Liva was anchored off port this morning and arrived at pier 9C later in the morning. It arrived from Belfast Lough anchorage, Northern Ireland where it had been anchored since late September, looking for cargo to take it to the US or Canadian East Coast.

Thorco Liva at pier 9c taking fuel from a tank truck, which is hidden from view behind a pair of  platform lifts and welding equipment that may be loaded aboard the ship for some work.

Later in the day trailers of steel fabrications arrived on the pier in preparation to load the frames for cable racks (known as tanks, due to their cylindrical form.) We have had several ships fitted out with cable tanks here, then proceed to Newington, NH, where the cable is manufactured, to load the material.

 Built in 2012 by the little known Honda* Heavy Industries of Saiki, Japan, the 13,110 grt, 16,901 dwt ship originally flew the Panama flag, but now uses Hong Kong. Thorco of Hellerup, Denmark has seven "L" class ships, all from the same yard, and all with typically Japanese fine-lined hulls and austere superstructures. The two-hold ships have movable tween decks and a pair of 50 tonne cranes.
[* Honda is a family name and the shipyard has no connection to the automobile manufacturer]

Weekend catch up

Yesterday's weather meant that today was a catch up day for several ships, and for Shipfax too.

The tanker Acadian made it into port last evening, and apparently has not resolved the engine problems it had last week. It tied up at pier 27, not at the Irving Oil Woodside terminal.

The Nirint Lines charter Atlantic Pioneer arrived after dark last evening and worked its nickel cargo all


 day today. It has called here with three different names, Atlantic Pioneer, Ongeo Pioneer and now Atlantic Pioneer. I have covered the ship before and the interesting connection one of the those names has with Halifax:

http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2011/03/federal-pioneer-fourth.html
http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2015/11/bumper-to-bumper-at-piers-27-and-28-and.html

The 9034 TEU container ship UASC Zamzam arrived this morning (it would normally have called on a Saturday) and sailed late this afternoon. It held the record for largest container ship to call in Halifax for a brief time this year, but was soon eclipsed by CMA CGM Tage at 9365 TEU - both running for the CMA CGM Columbus Loop service, with COSCO. Owners of UASC (United Arab Shipping Company) saw an opportunity to cash in and  sold the line to Hapag-Lloyd for $5.6 bn earlier this year. It is expected that OOCL will join this loop and UASC will exit early in the new year.

As UASC Zamzam was leaving, the Panama flag auto carrier Oregon Highway was arriving. It was due yesterday, but held off until today.The Panama flag ship, built in 2007 by Toyohashi Ship Building in Japan, measures 57,147 grt, but only 17,699 deadweight.

Meanwhile at anchor, with divers working, Energy Panther made its second call in Halifax in as many weeks. It appears to be in ballast.

There was also an exodus of offshore suppliers today, with Siem Hanne and Scotian Sea sailing.

I normally cover tug, supply and workboats in my Tugfax.

I also recognize that I have been neglecting the Royal Canadian Navy of late. That is not intentional.

I have not mentioned that HMCS Iroquois weill be scrapped in Liverpool. That is not news now, but it is a a sad end to plans that Sorel-Tracy had to use the ship to interpret their lengthy shipbuilding history. It is amazing to think that a ship that so recently been decommissioned was in such deplorable condition that it was not safe to use for public display.

I hope that HMCS Athabaskan is in better condition. It certainly still looked impressive, when it arrived and made a graceful turned around George's Island and put out to sea again last Monday.

I also failed to mention that HMCS Preserver paid off officially October 21. No mention has been made of where it will be scrapped, but there has been talk that some of its cargo transfer gear might be transplanted onto HMCS Queenston, the "interim" supply ship under conversion at Davie Quebec. It was also reported that the gear from HMCS Protecteur would be used, but I have heard no more on that topic. It seems to me however that any such equipment would be easier to relocate directly ship to ship.

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Weather plays havoc with schedules

Time and tide may wait for no man, but man certainly has to wait for suitable weather, and such was the case with the the port today.
High winds (accompanied by heavy rain) for the third weekend in a row, meant numerous delays in shipping.

Yesterday was to be the finale for the Halifax cruise season, with the arrival of the Serenade of the Seas and AIDAmar. However AIDAmar arrived a day early to avoid weather and remained in port overnight October 27-28. Serenade of the Seas did arrive on the 28th but also remained in port over night and only sailed this morning. Heavy swells at the pilot station presented some challenges for the disembarking pilot, when the pilot door was awash for some of the time.

The container ship Maersk Pembroke made it into port on schedule, but OOCL Antwerp was held off an hour or more, since the pilot boat had to return to town. It would normally have picked up a pilot at Herrring Cove, but the dock there was unsafe, due to breaking waves. UASC Zamzam put off its 1600 arrival until 1930.

Looking out from Herring Cove, the distant Chebucto Head is wreathed in spray and surf crashes onshore.

 The pilot boat often uses this wharf in Herring Cove to pick up pilots - but not today.

Several other ships were sent back to sea including the cargo ship Atlantic Pioneer, tanker Acadian and bulker Sea Marathon. The latter was to come in for bunkers at 0830, but is now scheduled for a 2130 pilot boarding time. The auto carrier Oregon Highway has decided to wait until tomorrow.

Departures were similarly effected. Nolhanava was to sail for St-Pierre at 0830, but finally sailed at 1630 and Maersk Pembroke, scheduled for 1230 waited until 1800.

Chebucto Pilot is far enough out from Portuguese Cove to avoid backwash.

Barely visible through the salt spray, Chebucto Pilot makes its way back into port after disembarking the pilot from Nolhanava as heavy swells smash along the shore at Portuguese Cove.

 
Things looked quite calm in the harbour, but there was a large swell running offshore, creating some spectacular surf in the outer reaches of the harbour.

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More stuff from 1986 - part 4 of a series

Until recently diesel locomotives were built in Canada. GM's Electro-Motive Division in London, ON built the units for domestic users and for export. Most of the latter came through Halifax and were loaded aboard ships at pier 24 or pier 9.

Mirabella

An order of 15 locomotives for Indonesia went out in March 1986 aboard the Dutch Mirabella. In those days some of the engines were lashed down on deck, protected only by factory installed tarps.

As seen from Dartmouth, Mirabella carries a large yellow spreader lashed to the starboard hatch coaming.

Viewed from the Halifax side,  the 60 tonne boom is visible on the after derrick, positioned to handle the yellow ballast boxes used as counterweights for heavy cargoes. The accommodation superstructure is offset to the starboard side of the ship to provide room for them or other long loads.

  

Owned by Jumbo Ships, and flagged in the Netherlands Antilles, the relatively modest sized ship of 3482 grt, 4420 dwt nevertheless carried a pair of 300 tonne derricks and a 60 tonne derrick. The De Groot + Van Vliet shipyard in Slikkerveer built the ship in 1977.  It was sold in 1996 and renamed Raben and again in the same year Solomon No.1 and Solomon. It was deleted from Lloyd's Register in 2011 with the notation "existence in doubt."

 Lisa Heeren

Among the many vanished container lines that once served Halifax, the Shipping Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (SCOTT Line) is only one of many. It carried out a weekly service for a few years, using a variety of short term charters. One of these was the German owned Lisa Heeren which made its first trip in March 1986 and completed its charter in January 1987.

Built in 1985 by Heinrich Brand shipyard in Oldenberg, the 2732 grt, 320 dwt ship had a container capacity of 177 TEU and carried a single 35 tonne crane. 

Shortly after the ship was built it was chartered out and briefly renamed Band Aid II to carry aid to Ethiopia. The Band Aid musical group, founded by Bob Geldof raised money for anti-famine relief and chartered at least nine ships for Band Aid cargo and had "Band Aid" as part of their names.

Lisa Heeren remained under Johann Heeren ownership as 89: Santa Paula, 90: Lisa Heeren, 92: Rangatikei, until it was sold becoming 96: Tucana, 05: Heimglimt, 07: Dyna Bulk. It is still in service under that name for Bulk Shipping Ltd of Bergen, Norway, flying the St.Vincent and Grenadines flag.

Stenholm

 Also sailing for SCOTT was the Stenholm. Built by the same shipyard, but in 1982, the 999 grt, 2703 dwt ship had a 277 TEU capacity and the same single 35 tonne crane and hull form, but a quite different superstructure.

Stenholm also had a lengthy career as 91: Alex, 91: Katya, 93: Maelifell, 00: Rarotonga Rover II, 01: Forum Rarotonga, 06: Matua, 09: SDK Italym 11: Dagger but finally arrived in Chittagong May 24, 2012 where it was beached for demolition May 15.

 Kraton

Some ships still carried conventional masts and cargo derricks. One of these was the Greek flagged Kraton that arrived with a cargo of steel. Built along very conventional lines by Mie shipyard in Yokkaichi, Japan in 1975, the 7426 grt, 11,999 dwt ship had four 20 tonne capacity booms mounted on single pole masts. It was also fitted for carrying deck loads such as timber, and thus the derricks were mounted well above deck level and it had retaining stanchions to secure the deck cargo.

Kraton at pier 31 with its uniform paint scheme.

Built as Uniworld, it became Kraton in 1985, and in 88: Lastovo, 92: Grand Fortune, 96: Sang Thai Apollo and was finally broken up on arrival in Xinhui, China July 18, 2001.

River Maje

Another general cargo ship with a variety of derricks was the classic profile River Maje, operating for the Nigerian National Shipping Line Ltd. It was built in 1980 by Brodogradiliste i Tvornica Dizel Motora "Split" in Yugoslavia (now Croatia), but along lines that hearkened back to the 1960s and before.

A launch from Partridge Motor Boat Services gets away from the ship while it is at anchor.

With one 80 tonne "jumbo" and seven 22 tonne derricks, the ship was intended to serve ports with minimal infrastructure. It was able to carry 428 TEUs but none were in evidence on this call in Halifax. It did tie up at Fairview Cove, but unloaded steel wire coils, a process that took nearly a week.

The ship served its original owners until sold for breaking up, arriving in Alang May 24, 2001.

Golden Prince

Electric cranes became the preferred method of unloading bulk carriers, but they often carried a few derricks too. Golden Prince was fitted out that way with five 25 tonne cranes and two derricks forward to serve number one hatch . Nippon Kokan KK of Shimizu, Japan built the 21,193 grt, 35,174 dwt ship in 1984 and it was strengthened for heavy cargoes. It could also carry 728 TEU of containers.

Golden Prince transits the Narrows en route to National Gypsum. One of the occasional "one off" ships to load there.

The ship became Nassau Paradise in 1999 and went to the breakers at Chittagong June 16, 2012.

Elisa Dyo

Another bulk carrier that was listed as a container ship was Elisa Dyo. Dating from 1976 when it emerged from the AG Weser Seebockwerft in Bremerhaven it was measured at 15,356 grt, 33,650 dwt and was fitted with portable guides to carry 680 TEU of containers.  It also had four 25 tonne cranes and was obviously intended to pick up any type of cargo it could find. Built as Ramu it became Raimol in 1981 and Elisa Dyo for Cyprus flag owners in 1984.

Elisa Dyo loaded narrow gauge rail cars for Dakar, Senegal at pier 31.

The ship arrived December 10, used its own cranes to load the rail cars and sailed December 18. It did not get far as the cargo shifted and it returned to anchor off Chebucto Head December 21. It was not until December 29 that the ship returned to port where it unloaded and re-stowed eight cars, and carried out additional stowage work within the holds. It finally sailed January 4, 1987.

In 1989 the ship was sold and renamed Kotah Inda  and arrived at Chittagong September 12, 2008 to be broken up.


Rail cars are no longer built in Nova Scotia and diesel locomotives are no longer built in Canada, so it seems unlikely that we would similar cargoes any time soon.

to be continued...

The Antigua and Barbuda flag general cargo ship Nordkap arrived at anchor this morning. It sails for HC Chartering of Hamburg and is a multi-purpose carrier, with box shaped holds and adjustable tween decks. The pontoons for those tween decks are not currently in use, and are lashed down on deck. That indicates a bulk cargo.
The 6170 grt, 77000dwt ship has a container capacity of 375 TEU, but can carry a wide variety of cargoes. It was built by Stocznia Gdanska in Poland in 2000.
The ship did not take bunkers, so it likely is in for some repairs on its trip from Barranquilla, Columbia.

On its trip toward Halifax the ship likely crossed paths with another ship named Nordkap. That ship, flying the Danish flag, is a bulk carrier, frequently seen in these waters, as it regularly carries bauxite to La Baie (Port Alfred) QC. And is currently en route La Baie to Norfolk, VA. A much larger ship of 40,066 grt, 77,229 dwt, it has called in Halifax in the past for bunkers. See: Shipfax April 2011

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Sunday follow up

As I mentioned yesterday the tanker Emergy Panther moved from anchor to Irving Oil Woodside - signalling an interesting development. Irving Oil is now importing refined product for local distribution.

 Energy Panther at Irving Woodside

One of Irving's own tankers, Acadian inaugurated the facility, then surprisingly moved to Imperial Oil where it may have discharged some product - another surprise, since product exchange between the two companies was thought to be at and end.

 Acadia sailing this afternoon

Acadian sailed yesterday, but was back in port last night. It sailed again this afternoon after rectifying some problem with its exhaust system. All four of the (chartered) Irving tankers had exhaust gas scrubber systems installed, allowing them to meet new pollution regulations while still burning heavy fuel.

 There was another tanker arrival today, but it was not to deliver or pick up cargo, Malmo docked at pier 27 to take on fuel delivered by truck. Not your typical product tanker, Malmo is smaller than most at 13,472 grt and 19,932 dwt, indicating that it is more likely to carry exotic chemicals. Its tanks are lined with an advance polymer coating called Marine Line 784, which permits it to carry food grade cargoes.

 Malmo at pier 27.

One of  series of similar ships built in 2008 by the Soli Shipyard in Kocaeli, Golucuk, Izmit, Turkey, it is operated by Empire Chemical Tankers of Piraeus and registered in Malta. Its last port was given as Paulsboro, NJ, one of the many refinery ports near Philadelphia. The ship appears to be in ballast, and this may be its last port before setting out on a transatlantic crossing.


The cruise ship Sirena was to sail this afternoon, but that has now been put off until midnight. High wind have apparently played havoc with the ship's schedule. In the interests of passenger comfort, they have decided to wait for better conditions.
Other ships may also have been delayed by weather. The autocarrier Tosca was due at Autoport today, but it has held off until tomorrow.

There was ConRo activity today, with ACL's veteran Atlantic Cartier arriving from Europe and the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia's Bahri Jazan arriving from Houston on its return toward home. The two ships passed each other in the Middle Ground area south of Point Pleasant.

Atlantic Cartier has just cleared the MacKay bridge outbound and catches a last slant of sun.

Bahri Jazan also enjoying some sun inbound.

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That's the breaks

Thanks to some well timed breaks in the fog and driving rain, there were a few photo ops of harbour activity today.

The cruise ship Sirena arrived and tied up at pier 22. Although there was not a great deal of wind at the time of arrival, the ship took two tugs to berth. It is very unusual for cruise ships to take tugs - they have lots of thrusters and usually make out fine by themselves. Since most cruise ships are painted white they also hate to get fender scuffs by using tugs.

Sirena loiters in mist in the anchorages awaiting tugs.

 

Whatever the reason, the ship had to wait until tugs became available. Atlantic Oak had just sailed the tanker Acadian from Irving Woodside, and it became available first. However the other tugs were moving Energy Panther from anchorage to Irving Woodside, and it was some time before Atlantic Willow was freed up to assist.

Underway again towards pier 22, with one tug on the port bow, it will take its second tug just off the pier.

Sirena is a new name for Halifax. The ship was built in 1999 by Chantier Atlantique, St-Nazaire as R Four for the ill-fated Renaissance Cruise Line. It became Tahitian Princess in 2002 and Ocean Princess in 2009. Now owned by NCL Bahamas of Miami, it received its current name earlier this year when it received a major refit. It has a stated capacity of 850 passengers.

The Energy Panther - see yesterday- is the first non-Irving tanker to tie up at Irving Woodside. Its last port was given as Ijmuiden, Holland, so even Irving Oil with its massive refining capacity in Saint John, is now importing refined products. The company recently purchased a refinery in Ireland, so it seems likely that they will be moving product around the oceans.

Another tanker arrived last night and anchored in Bedford Basin. CPO France is smaller than the usual handy-size, medium range tanker we are accustomed to seeing. Built in 2008 by Hyundai Mipo, it comes in at 23,353 grt, 37,304 dwt.

 CPO France appears to be carrying very little cargo.

Operated by Offen Tankers of Hamburg, it was due to move to Imperial Oil this afternoon during a period of heavy rain. However for a brief shining moment late this morning it was in a spot of sun in the Bedford Basin. However I was not quick enough to get there to capture the event.

So how foggy was it?
CMA CGM Tancredit was sounding its fog horn, and was almost invisible until it got right up to Halterm.

It was even foggier later in the afternoon when OOCL Kaohsiung arrived. It was sounding its fog horn all the way through the harbour and up into the Narrows.

The ship became visible as it neared the MacKay bridge

It finally emerged into a clear patch in  Bedford Basin.

All in all a fine day for ship watching.

Energy Panther heads up

The tanker Energy Panther took up an unusual position in the harbour today. Ships at anchor are normally oriented with the bows in the northeasterly direction. However with a weather system building in today the winds have backed round and the ship is positioned with its bow in a southerly direction. It also appears to be much closer the Halifax side of the harbor, but that may be as much my height of view, and the scope on the anchor cable.

Dominion Diving's Halmar is alongside and the Maritime Museum's Acadia is in the foreground.

Energy Panther is a typical Korean built mid-range tanker of 29,494 grt, 46,610 dwt. However it was built in 2008 at the little known Sungdong Ship Building + Engineering of Tongyoung. The ship is managed by Enterprises Shipping + Trading SA of Athens, but owned and registered on the Isle of Man. It is part of the Golden Energy pool of tankers.


It arrived from Ijmuiden, Netherlands.

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Irving Woodside - official opening

Today was the official inauguration of the new $80 million dollar Irving Oil facility in Woodside. Consisting a of a rebuilt pier, distribution centre and tank storage, the installation is now totally separate from neighbour Imperial Oil. They had shared facilities for about 10 years.

The tanker Acadian was alongside unloading directly to Irving's own tanks. 

It was just a month ago that Acadian delivered the first cargo the new Woodisde dock (and you read about it here: http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2016/09/weeks-roundup.html .

In a strange twist however, Acadian will be moving to Imperial Oil dock #4 Friday morning. She could be delivering furnace oil to Imperial.

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Tortugas and Saldanha Bay - southern ports

Two ships with names recalling southern places perhaps brought a little warm weather with them.

The bulk carrier Saldanha Bay stopped in for bunkers en route from Jamaica. Named for a beautiful section of South African coast line, the ship is nevertheless owned by Nissen Kaiun Co Ltd of Japan. The ship was also built in Japan by Shikoku, Takamatsu. It is a member of the 100 ship plus Pacific Basin bulker fleet.
 

Unseasonable temperatures for the next few days mean that some recreational sailors are still enjoying their boats.

 The 21,801 grt, 35,947 dwt ship dates from 2015.  It is likely loaded with alumina - the purified form of bauxite, the basic ore of aluminum. The Port Esquivel facility in Jamaica is a major producer of alumina.

Dominion Diving's Halmar alongside the ship while at anchor, likely with agents or a technician.

Wilhlemsen's Tortugas got away from pier 27 this afternoon after arriving at Autoport yesterday, dropping off autos. It moved over to the Halifax side this morning. It normally would have used pier 30-31, but that berth was tied up by Hollandia unloading its nickel suflides cargo from Cuba.

Tortugas unloaded some machinery, tractors and trucks that will be forwarded on from Halifax by road.
Built in 2006 by Mitsubishi, Nagasaki. Its 61,321 grt equates to a 6,354 car capacity. It is named for an extension of the Florida Keys in Gulf of Mexico, and as with all Wilhelmsen ships, its name begins with a "T".

Also in port is the tanker Doric Pioneer. It arrived yesterday at Imperial Oil from Port Arthur, TX.

Greek owned, Liberian flag, the 29,622 grt, 51,565 dwt ship was built by Hyundai Ulsan, Mipo, South Korea.

More stuff from 1984 - part 3 of a series

Cruise ships were not as big a part of the Port of Halifax business in 1984. In fact the season was fairly short, ending October 1. There were only nine different ships, making about 33 visits. Ships were much smaller too, and some were veterans.

Royal Viking Sea

The Royal Viking pair Royal Viking Sky and Royal Viking Sea were both visitors in 1986. The stylish duo, which set the trend for modern cruisers, were built in 1972 and 1973 by O/Y Wartsila in Helsinki, but were lengthened 93 feet in 1983 increasing capacity from 750 to 848 passengers. The ships actually looked better after lengthening.

Royal Viking Sea before lengthening (1979 photo)

Royal Viking Sea after lengthening (1987 photo)

After many sales and renamings, both ships are still sailing, Royal Viking Sky as Boudicca and Royal Viking Sea as Albatros. The latter called here in 2015.

Royal Viking Sky after lengthening (1990 photo)

Stefan Batory

This remarkable ship was built in 1952 by Wilton-Fijenoord, Schiedam, Netherlands for the Holland America Line. Launched as Diemerdijk it was wisely renamed Maasdam and began a 35 year career as a transatlantic liner. Fitted with GE steam turbines, which were World War II surplus,  it brought many Dutch immigrants to Canada, as its normal route was Rotterdam / Montreal / New York. From 1960 it ran from Rotterdam / Montreal, making its last trip in 1968.

In 1969 it was sold to the Polish government and renamed Stefan Batory and in April began its service from Gydnia via Copenhagen and Quebec City to Montreal. It would also call in Halifax from time to time and made one call in July 1986.

It made its last sailing from Montreal in 1987 and was the last steamship on a regularly scheduled North Atlantic service.

In its last year of service as a transatlantic liner, Stefan Batory makes its way up the St.Lawrence River.

After some short term service in the summer of 1988 it was sold to Greek owners in November 1988 and renamed Stefan. Under Stena management it served as a refugee hostel in Gothenburg, and moved on the Greece in 1991. It arrived in Alang in March 2000 where it was broken up.

Stella Solaris

Another steam turbine veteran of the 1950s was Stella Solaris. However it was built as a passenger cargo vessel by Atelier + Chantier de France, Dunkerque as Cambodge. It served Cie des Messageries Maritimes until 1970 when it was converted to a cruise ship with 329 cabins and 660 berths.

A stylish conversion, Stella Solaris looked more like a liner than a cruise ship with its high lifeboats and closed decks.

The ship was sold for scrap in 2003 and under the name S Solar made its way to Alang, arriving December 11.

Veracruz I

Called Veracruz Primero, this ship was a regular caller in Halifax, but 1986 was its last year to visit here.

Dating from 1957, it was another steam turbine vessel, built as Theodor Herzl for Zim Israel Navigation Co Ltd of Haifa with a sister ship Jerusalem. Initially for Mediterranean liner service between Israel, Greece and Italy, it had cargo holds fore and aft, but became a cruise ship in  1965. It last sailed for Zim 1969.

Sold and renamed Carnivale it was to be the first ship in the Carnival  Cruise line, but was not converted and remained laid up until 1975 when it was sold again and renamed Freeport. Extensively rebuilt as a cruise ship, it was given a more modern appearance with a new funnel wing, and enclosed side alleys.

With a mix of traditional and modern flourishes Veracruz I was a solid looking ship.

With a passenger capacity of 800 the ship was a regular in Halifax until 1986. It was then transferred to the Caribbean and in 1990 was sold and renamed  Sun Ambassador and in 1991 Fiesta. At that time it was in Piraeus for another major refit, but on October 14, 1991 it caught fire. The ship sank due to ingress of water from firefighting and was a total loss. It was later broken up in place.

Illiria

The last ship of the season arrived on October 2. Unlike recent years, when October is the peak season, Illiria was also the only ship to call in that month.

Built in 1972 by Cantieri Navali Pellegrini, Naples for Adriatic service as a cargo / passenger ship it had  accommodation for 181.  In 1977 it was converted for 135 passengers for Greek owners.

Illiria sails smartly up the St.Lawrence in 1988.

In 1986 New Frontier Cruise Lines Ltd of Greece acquired the ship and ran it until 1988. It was then acquired by the unusually named First Security Bank of Utah N.A. and reflagged to Liberia.

It became Bali Sea Dancer in 1994 working out of Singapore and in 1998 it moved to South America.

As Galapogos Discovery it hoisted the Ecuador flag but it was a short tenure.

On October 19, 1999 it caught fire at Balboa and sank the next day. It was later raised and towed out to sea and scuttled February 28, 2002.

Ocean Princess

Dating from 1967 this was one of the early ships built strictly for cruising. Originally named Italia, its owners and builders went broke during construction, but it was completed for Costa Armatore. Working in the Mediterranean and the US west coast it was unofficially named Princess Italia until 1983 when it was sold and renamed Ocean Princess.
 

 With engines aft to increase valuable mid-ships passenger space, the ship had a very unstylish finnel.

In March 1993 while cruising the Amazon it struck a submerged wreck and sank near Belem. Passengers and crew got off safely, but the engine room was flooded and the ship was declared a constructive total loss.
It was rebuilt as Sea Prince but in 1995 suffered a fire and was sold again, breifly as Sea Prince V then Princesa Oceanica for Louis Cruises. It was renamed Sapphire in 1996 for a Thomson charter.
In 2010 the ship was laid up because it did not comply with the new SOLAS regulations, and in 2012 under the name Aspire it made its way to Alang where it was beached May 11 and broken up.

For the record, the other callers were Royal Odyssey and Sea Goddess II, both of which managed to elude my camera.

to be continued...