 Delphin in Helsinki South Harbour, May 2009 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | WärtsiläTurku Shipyard,Turku,Finland |
| Operators | Numerous |
| Built | 1975–1976 |
| In service | 1975–2020 |
| Completed | 5 |
| Lost | 1 |
| Retired | 4 |
| General characteristics (as built)[1] | |
| Type | Cruiseferry |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 156.27 m (512 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 22.05 m (72 ft 4 in) |
| Draught | 5.90 m (19 ft 4 in) |
| Depth | 16.31 m (53 ft 6 in)[2] |
| Decks | 9[3][4] |
| Ice class | ICE-C[5] |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | Two propellers[6] |
| Speed | 21.50knots (39.82 km/h; 24.74 mph) |
| Capacity | |
| Crew | 216[2] |
TheBelorussiya class was a class ofcruiseferries (sometimes also referred to as theGruziya class)[3] that were built byWärtsiläTurku Shipyard, Finland, in 1975–1976 for theBlack Sea Shipping Company,Soviet Union. The five ships in the class were originally used in cruiseferry service around theBlack Sea. During the 1980s all ships in the class were rebuilt intocruise ships. During the end of the 1990s all ships in the class were sold to other operators.[7] The remaining ships in this class ended service in 2020. All ships as of 2022 have beenscrapped except forEnchanted Capri, which was shipwrecked on the Gulf coast of Mexico and only has partially been dismantled.[8][1][9][10][11][12]
During the early 1970s, theBlack Sea Shipping Company of theSoviet Union decided to order five cruiseferries to be used on domestic traffic around theBlack Sea.[7] Instead of having the ships built domestically or ordering them fromComecon member states, the new ships were ordered from theWärtsilä shipyards inneutral Finland.
TheBelorussiya-class ships were built to the same standards of technology and passenger comfort as the cruiseferries built in the western world at the time.[7] They were also amongst the largest cruiseferries of their time, surpassing the largest cruiseferries built in the west at the same time (MS Tor Britannia andMS Tor Scandinavia) in terms ofgross register tonnage.[1]
When theBelorussiya-class ships entered service, it soon turned out their car-carrying capacity was too small in comparison with their passenger-carrying capacity. Due to their high standards of passenger accommodation, it was decided that instead of rebuilding the ships with larger car-decks, they would be converted intocruise ships with minimal car-carrying facilities.[7] Between 1981 and 1988 all ships in the class were rebuilt at West German or British shipyards,[1][9][10][11][12][13] with the car decks built in with cabins and additional public spaces, and the forwardsuperstructure slightly expanded.[7]
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the sale of theBelorussiya-class ships to different operators around the world, some of the ships have received further rebuildings.[1][9]
During their career under the Soviet flag, theBelorussiya-class ships were used on domestic traffic betweenCrimea and theCaucasus, as well as considerable cruising both for Soviet passengers as well as under charter to travel companies outside theEastern Bloc.[7] Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the ships were initially transferred under a Ukrainian flag,[14] then towards the end of the 1990s they were transferred under variousflags of convenience but soon afterwards sold off to other operators.[7]
TheBelorussiya was launched on 6 March 1974 and delivered on 15 January 1975. She was named after theByelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. TheBelorussiya was rebuilt into a cruise ship in 1986 atLloyd Werft,Bremerhaven, West Germany. From 1987 until late 1992,Belorussiya was chartered byCTC Cruises to operate budget cruises from Sydney, Australia to ports in the south Pacific region. During this time,Belorussiya operated from Sydney during the Australian summer and in Europe for the rest of the year.[15] On 25 October 1992, while in drydock inSingapore, the ship developed a heavylist and filled with water. She was eventually floated out in January 1993 and sailed to Lloyd Werft, where her interiors were entirely rebuilt. On completion of the refit on 9 December 1993 she was renamedKazakhstan II.[1][6] From 22 December 1993 onwards she was chartered toDelphin Seereisen,Germany. In June 1995 she was sold toLady Lou Shipping Co,Cyprus. In May 1996 Delphin Seereisen purchased the vessel and renamed herDelphin.[1] The ship stopped operating for passenger service by 2010. The ship was moved to Rijeka, Croatia to be an accommodation ship for shipyard workers until 2017. The ship was laid up and later sold for scrap in 2022. The ship was later beached and has since been scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey within the same year.[16]
TheGruziya was launched on 18 October 1974 and delivered on 30 June 1975.[9] She was named after theGeorgian Soviet Socialist Republic. TheGruziya was rebuilt into a cruise ship between 1984 or 1988, due to different sources stating different years.[9][13] In 1995 she was transferred under the ownership ofBlasco UK, transferred underLiberian flag and renamedOdeassa Sky. On 26 August 1995 she was arrested inMontreal, Quebec,Canada and remained there for at least five months.[9][17] In August 1996 she reverted to Ukrainian flag. On 11 September 1996 she arrived atWilhelmshaven, Germany for engine inspection, but was subsequently arrested in the port of Wilhelmshaven due to unpaid debts of her owners. In August 1998 she was sold to theDutch businessmanGerard van Leest, and subsequently rebuilt inBremerhaven, Germany for cruise traffic. RenamedClub I, the ship begun making short cruises fromRotterdam under the banner ofClub Cruise in April 1999. In December 1999 she was renamedVan Gogh and chartered toNouvelles Frontieres.[9] She was later chartered toTravelscope,[4] without a change of name, until Travelscope went bankrupt in December 2007. Following the bankruptcy of Travelscope, Club Cruise established a new subsidiary,Van Gogh Cruises to operate theVan Gogh.[17] This was not a success and in 2009 the ship was sold toSalamis Lines, Cyprus and renamedSalamis Filoxenia.[9] The ship remained in service until 2020 when the financial strain from theCOVID-19 pandemic shutdown caused the ship's operator to end cruise operations and sell the ship for scrap.[18] The ship was beached in Gadani, Pakistan on April 17, 2022 under the nameTitan.[19]
TheAzerbaizhan was launched on 14 April 1975 and delivered on 18 December 1975. She was named after theAzerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. TheAzerbaizhan was converted to a cruise ship at Lloyd Werft, West Germany in 1986.[10][20] In early 1996 she was transferred under the ownership ofBlasco UK, transferred underLiberian flag and renamedArkadia, but already in July 1996 she reverted to Ukrainian flag. In 1997 she was chartered toSeaEscape,United States under the nameIsland Holiday.[10] In 1998 she was chartered toCommodore Cruise Lines and renamedEnchanted Capri.[10][21] In 2001 she was laid up, until chartered to Señor Demar ofMexico in 2003. Demar purchased the ship on 1 November 2006.[10] The ship was sold in late 2020 with the intentions of being broken up for scrap.[22] While being towed from Coatzacoalcos the ship broke loose and was grounded atAlvarado in October of 2020. The ship was not refloated and became wrecked after it split into two and was subject to damage from rough waves. As of mid-2022 the wreck is still present and has been partially demolished.[8]
TheKazakhstan was launched on 17 October 1975 and delivered in June 1976. She was named after theKazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. TheKazakhstan was converted to a cruise ship at Lloyd Werft, West Germany in 1984.[11][23] In December 1994 she was transferred under the ownership ofBlasco UK, transferred underLiberian flag and renamedUkraina. On 2 September 1996 she was chartered toRoyal Seas Cruises Lines, reverted to Ukrainian flag and used for cruising fromTampa.[11] After the end of charter in January 1997 she reverted to the nameUkraina and was chartered toSeaEscape. On 13 February 1998 she was renamedIsland Adventure but continued service with SeaEscape until the company ceased operations in August 2008.[11][24][25] The ship never re-entered service and was sold for scrap in 2011. The ship was scrapped in Alang, India in 2012.[26]
TheKareliya was launched on 14 April 1976 and delivered in December 1976.[12] She was the onlyBelorussiya class ship not named after aSoviet Socialist Republic (Karelia being anAutonomous Soviet Socialist Republic at the time). On 1 June 1981 she was grounded while on a cruise nearArrecife,Canary Isles, and her passengers had to be evacuated. Following the grounding she sailed toTyne,United Kingdom for repairs. In addition to repairs the chance was taken to convert her into a cruise ship. TheKareliya received a more extensive expansion of her forward superstructure than her other sisters. In December 1982 theKareliya was renamedLeonid Brezhnev in honour of the recently-deceased long-timeGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet UnionLeonid Brezhnev. In 1989 the ship reverted to her original name.[12][27]
In 1995 theKareliya was transferred toMaddock Trading and re-flagged toLiberia. In 1996 she reverted to Ukrainian flag. On 17 March 1997 she was arrested atNouméa due to debts of her owners. In May 1998 she was sold toKaalbye Group, renamedOlvia and moved back under the Liberian flag. On 17 September 2001 she was sold toK&O Shipping and used for service withPeace Boat. On 20 December 2004 she was renamedNeptune, on 14 April 2005CT Neptune and on 27 May 2006 she reverted toNeptune. Subsequently, she was sold toWalden Maritime and used forcasino cruising out ofHong Kong. The ship was sold to China International in 2011 and renamed theStarry Metropolis continuing to sail as a gambling ship. Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic shutdown in 2020, the ship was in debt and was sold for scrap on March 25, 2021. It was the last casino ship to operate out of Hong Kong, China.[28] The ship was beached in Alang, India on June 14, 2021, and has been since broken up for scrap.[29]
