.jpg) Columbus inHook of Holland on 29 July 2018. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | |
| Builder | Chantiers de l'Atlantique |
| Launched | 28 May 1988 |
| Completed | 15 March 1989 |
| Maiden voyage | 1989 |
| In service | 1989 |
| Out of service | 2020 |
| Identification | |
| Fate | Scrapped atAlang,India in 2021.[1][2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 63,500 GT[3] |
| Length | 247 m (810 ft 4 in) |
| Beam | 32 m (105 ft 0 in) |
| Draught | 8.2 m (26 ft 11 in) |
| Decks |
|
| Installed power | Four diesel engines |
| Propulsion | Diesel-electric |
| Speed | 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph) |
| Capacity | 1,400 (Normal), 1,856 (Maximum) |
| Crew | 700 |
MVColumbus was acruise ship. She was built byChantiers de l'Atlantique, at their shipyard inSaint-Nazaire,France, and launched in 1988 asSitmar Fair Majesty. Originally ordered forSitmar Cruises, with the merger of Sitmar Cruises into Princess, she first entered service withPrincess Cruises asStar Princess in 1989. From 1997 to 2003, she served in theP&O Cruises fleet asMVArcadia. She was renamedOcean Village in 2003 when the brand was established.[4]Ocean Village was the sole cruise ship of theOcean Village brand after theOcean Village Two became thePacific Jewel. In 2010 the Ocean Village brand ceased its operations and she was transferred toP&O Cruises Australia and renamedPacific Pearl. She served in the P&O Cruises Australia fleet until 2017 when she was sold toCruise & Maritime Voyages and renamed MVColumbus. Following CMV entering administration in 2020, the Ship was auctioned by CW Kellock & Co. in London on 12 October 2020, for US$5,321,000 to Marios Iliopoulos ofSeajets, and some months later resold to scrap in Eleusis Bay.[5][6][7] In 2021 she was sold for scrap in Alang, India where she will be beached and dismantled.[2]
Sitmar FairMajesty had been launched and named but was still being fitted out when Sitmar was taken over byP&O in 1988. She was subsequently renamedStar Princess when she commenced operating for P&O'sPrincess Cruises division in 1989. On 23 June 1995 at 01:42Star Princess struck Poundstone Rock in Favorite Channel while sailing the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau Alaska. There were no injuries or deaths. Damage to theStar Princess was substantial. Repairs cost over $7 million and lost revenue was estimated at US$20 million. The repaired Star Princess resumed her cruise schedule on 7 August 1995.[8]
In 1997 she was transferred to P&O'sSouthampton based UK fleet as a replacement forSS Canberra, which was sold for scrap that year. She was refitted for her new role atHarland and Wolff, shipyard inBelfast.
She was renamedArcadia, in honour of an earlier P&O liner of thesame name that served the UK-Australia route, and a newPrincess Cruises ship took the nameStar Princess.
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In 2003, P&O inaugurated itsOcean Village brand of cruises aimed at young people and families.Arcadia was renamedOcean Village to undertake these cruises. She was repainted with a more colourful livery featuring a vivid purple, yellow and red swoosh on the bow as part of the refit. Modifications were also made to the public areas and accommodation. The work was carried out between 28 March and 17 April 2003 at Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven.[citation needed]
Ocean Village was the only ship in the Ocean Village fleet after 2009, a former brand ofCarnival UK. It was aimed at mature cruisers who prefer casual informal cruising. The ship was sailing fromBridgetown,Barbados in the winter and fromPalma de Mallorca,Spain in the summer.
Onboard features included a 3-storey atrium called Village Square incorporating shops, a performance space, coffee and cocktail bars. A 2-storey show lounge called the Marquee featured tribute acts and dance/show routines from the onboard cast. A second smaller lounge called Connexions was used for comedy and light entertainment, a traditional English Pub called the Oval with occasional sports shown on TV, a nightclub calledBayside, cinema called the Movie Drome, 2 swimming pools (Crystal and Riviera), 4jacuzzis, a kids and teens-club, 2 Gyms, a sports net area and a health Spa. Food is provided in two buffet style restaurants Waterfront and Plantation (the latter of which is open 24hrs), and two waiter service restaurants called La Luna and the Bistro for which supplements were charged.
During the transformation fromArcadia toOcean Village, a large steel arch was fitted over thelido deck, used for acrobatic shows, during which the ship has to be slowed to around 5 to 8 knots (9.3 to 14.8 km/h; 5.8 to 9.2 mph).
Ocean Village sailed on her final farewell voyage on 21 October, a 23-day cruise stopping atCairo-Egypt (fromPort Said), visiting theSuez Canal,Safaga, Egypt,Muscat, Oman,Dubai, United Arab Emirates,Cochin, India,Langkawi, Malaysia,Kuala Lumpur (fromPort Kelang, Malaysia) and finally stopping atSingapore where she entered dry dock to becomePacific Pearl, also marking the end of Ocean Village Cruise Line. There was the option for a 30-day cruise, a week in the Mediterranean and the final cruise itself, both the 23 or the 30 day cruises were adults only.[9][10] The port call atDubai was changed toFujairah over security concerns. Passengers heading to Dubai took a free shuttle service, which was about a two-hour bus ride away from the port.
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On 30 October 2008, Carnival Corporation & plc announced the closure of theirOcean Village brand. Coinciding with this both Ocean Village ships were to be transferred to the fleet ofP&O Cruises Australia.Ocean Village joined the P&O Australia fleet asPacific Pearl towards the end of 2010. Her first sailing asPacific Pearl was on 22 December 2010.[11]
On 3 March 2016,P&O Cruises Australia announced that thePacific Pearl would be transferring out of the fleet in March 2017. Having completed 294 cruises for P&O, thePacific Pearl has carried more than half a million passengers over five years. On 7 March 2016 it was announced that the ship will be transferred toCruise & Maritime Voyages as theColumbus becoming its new flagship.[12] The farewell voyage of the ship commenced in Auckland on 27 March 2017, spanning 16 days and docking at six ports before finally ending in Singapore on 12 April 2017. ThePacific Jewel replaced her services out of New Zealand.[13]
On 12 April 2017, after being handed over to CMV she consequently departed Singapore as thePacific Pearl sailed toDamen Shiprepair Schiedam inRotterdam,The Netherlands and underwent dry dock to becomeColumbus.[14] In 2018, she underwent dry dock withDamen Shiprepair inAmsterdam.
In March 2020, CMV's operations were temporarily shut down, along with the rest of the cruise industry, to combat the spread ofCOVID-19 pandemic. By July 2020, CMV had entered administration. On 12 October 2020,Columbus was auctioned by CW Kellock & Co. London, and was sold to Greek ferry operatorSeajets.[15] The ship was bought by SeaJets, but due to the ship aging and other problems, SeaJets sold her for scrap inAlang.[5] She was beached in Alang, India for scrap on 12 April 2021 and scrapping begin on 5 August 2021.
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Years indicate year of entry into service with Cruise & Maritime Voyages | ||
