История одного круизного лайнера

Cruise ship

MS Song of Norway (later Sundream, Dream Princess, Dream, Clipper Pearl, Clipper Pacific, Festival, Ocean Pearl, Formosa Queen) was one of the first ships purpose built as a cruise ship. She was the first ship of Royal Caribbean International when she entered operation in 1970. She was sold for scrap in 2013 and broken up in 2014, after serving her last years as a gambling ship.

The vessel originally had a gross tonnage of 18,000 tons, and could carry 724 passengers. Following the 1978 refit, she was lengthened by 85 feet, to provide for 1024 passengers and increasing her size to 23,000 gross tons.

In early 2005 Sundream was being refitted in Piraeus under the name Dream Princess. The ship was sailing on four night cruises from Haifa to Alanya, Rhodes and Larnaca. Some itineraries also included Marmaris and Santorini. In January 2006 the vessel was used to house students from Tulane University after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

On September 18, 2007, while anchored in the port of Rhodes, the cruise ship developed a 10 degree list. She was immediately evacuated and four officers who were on duty at the time of the incident were detained. The crew was accused of deliberately grounding the vessel to prevent further listing and an ultimate sinking. Divers investigating the incident discovered that hatchways in the hull, designed for discharging untreated waste into the ocean, had been crudely plugged with chunks of wood, to prevent the discharge. That kept the waste on board. Failure to pump the waste in a timely manner resulted in the listing of the vessel. The list was eventually corrected but on 18 November 2007, due to strong winds, Dream Princess came loose of her moorings and collided with an adjacent cargo ship causing minor damages in both vessels. The coast guard managed to tow the cruise ship back to the dock using tug boats. Dream Princess remained in the port of Rhodes for nearly two months until her seaworthiness was re established. On November 28, 2007 she was towed to the port of Kuşadası.

On July 16, 2008, the Clipper Pacific was detained in New York by the United States Coast Guard for numerous safety violations including a leaking hull. She remained in New York and was not allowed to leave until repairs were made. Further extensive repairs were made in dry dock in Tampa, Florida, where inspectors found new safety problems. The ship was next detained for a couple of days in August 2008 in Seward, Alaska for significant code violations. after International Shipping Partners, the former owner of the and the MS Ocean Pearl, issued a statement saying that both ships would be available for sale or charter after the insolvency of Happy Cruises. She was renamed Formosa Queen and operated by Asia Star Cruises. In November 2013, Formosa Queen was sold for scrap and she was broken up in China in 2014.