A haunting series of images taken of the stranded and now quite visibly broken SS PLATINUM II (ex INDEPENDENCE, SEA LUCK I, OCEANIC INDEPENDENCE, OCEANIC) have been forwarded to MaritimeMatters by James Hood. Once we get the URL for the website, we will provide a link but thus far, the…
St. Nazaire, France-based STX Europe have been commissioned by Libya’s General National Maritime Transport Co (GNMTC) to construct a 139,400 gt cruise ship largely based upon the design of MSC Cruises’ recent STX newbuilds, MSC FANTASIA (shown) and MSC SPLENDIDA. The as yet unnamed vessel is due for completion at…
Overcrowded Alang has just polished off Yugoslav-built liners DALMACIJA and GLORY (ex ANNA NERY, etc.). Sadly, the WINNER 5 (ex AUSONIA, IVORY, AEGEAN tWO) has begun to succumb after waiting two months for another ship in her plot to be finished and for winchers to drag her closer to shore. …
Celebrity Cruises 76,522 gt MV CELEBRITY MERCURY (ex MERCURY) will join former sister MEIN SCHIFF (ex GALAXY, CELEBRITY GALAXY) in the TUI Cruises fleet as MEIN SCHIFF 2. Built in 1997, the 1,898 passenger vessel was the third in the CENTURY class of ships constructed by Meyer Werft of Papenburg,…
The 1957-built liquid bulk tanker GETTYSBURG is the latest ship to depart Suisuin Bay for BAE Systems in San Francisco for hull cleaning prior to being towed to Brownsville, Texas, where she will be scrapped. The eighth ship of some 55 slated for disposal by 2017 (the 20 worst of…
Sunday, May 16, 2010: Round three of my ongoing double P-2 pursuit found me back in San Francisco for the undocking and final departure of the U.S.N.S. GENERAL JOHN POPE to a Brownsville, Texas scrap yard. The 1943-built P2-S2-R2 type vessel had been transferred after 40 years in layup at…
Despite the brilliant sun that morning, an icy wind whirled across the GENERAL JOHN POPE’s upper decks as she began to pick up momentum. The reserve fleet rafts were well off her starboard stern as her masts slid under the Benecia Bridge. It would have been great to just relax…
Louis Hellenic Cruises has announced the sale of the 1971-built AEGEAN PEARL (ex SOUTHWARD, SEAWING, PERLA) to Israel-based buyers, effective June 23, 2010. The handsome ship’s three and four night Aegean itineraries will be taken over by the 1968-built MV CALYPSO (ex CANGURO VERDE). The AEGEAN PEARL’s future itineraries and…
Last Monday afternoon, just after I returned from following the scrap-bound GENERAL EDWIN D. PATRICK out to San Francisco’s Land’s End, my cell phone buzzed with a new voice mail message. “Peter, this is Bob Brown. Give me a call back about the GENERAL JOHN POPE when you get a…
Carnival Cruise Lines has announced the name of the third unit in its 130,000 gt platform of ships, introduced late last year with the debut of the CARNIVAL DREAM. The CARNIVAL BREEZE has begun construction at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone, Italy-based shipyard and is scheduled for delivery in 2012. The second ship…
