MS ''Insignia'' is the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

of the of

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...

s built for

Renaissance Cruises Renaissance Cruises was a cruise ship operating company that was founded in 1989 and owned by Fearnley & Eger Rederi in Oslo, Norway. It was purchased by Edward Rudner (founder of Alamo Car Rental) as the company faltered during the Gulf War. It o ...

. She is now owned by

Oceania Cruises Oceania Cruises is a cruise line based in Miami, Florida, that operates six cruise ships on worldwide itineraries. It typically offers cruises that last between 10 and 14 days, but is also known for its long cruises lasting up to 195 days. The ...

as part of its of ships, but recently sailed for

Hapag-Lloyd Hapag-Lloyd AG is a German international shipping and container transportation company. Hapag-Lloyd was formed in 1970 through a merger of Hamburg-American Line (HAPAG) and North German Lloyd. History The company was formed on September 1, 1 ...

as the ''Columbus 2''. She was built in 1998 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

for Renaissance Cruises as MS ''R One''. On 11 December 2014, 3 crew members died in a fire that broke out in the engine room when the ship was docked in St. Lucia.

Concept and construction

had begun operations in 1989, with a series of eight small luxury cruise ships constructed during the course of the next three years. In the mid-90s the company placed an order for eight identical vessels with Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in

. The first ship in the series, , was delivered in June 1998, followed by ''R Two'' in November of the same year. MS ''Insignia'' is scheduled to undergo a significant renovation as a part of the company's $100 million OceaniaNEXT program. The refurbished cruise ship will debut in December 2018.

Lease to Hapag-Lloyd

Beginning in April 2012, MS ''Insignia'' began what was initially announced as a two-year lease to

, which renamed the ship ''Columbus 2''. Hapag-Lloyd decided that after 2014 they would not renew the charter of the ''Columbus 2'', in favor of focusing their luxury product. ''Insignia'' rejoined the Oceania fleet in 31 May 2014.

Engine fire

On 11 December 2014 whilst alongside in Castries, St. Lucia, ''Insignia'' experienced a major fire in her engine room. Two Wartsila N.A. field service engineers and one crew member, working in the engine room at the time, lost their lives. The resulting damages made it necessary to end the voyage started just 4 days prior in Miami. All passengers were disembarked and flown to their home towns. After minor repairs to restore power, MS ''Insignia'' was towed to San Juan, Puerto Rico where she was fully repaired. The ship was back in service by 22 March 2015 to start a world cruise from Singapore. The delayed departure date for the cruise resulted in a heavily modified itinerary, although many of the principal cruise destinations were still visited.

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

"Iberia On The INSIGNIA, Part One""Part Two"
an
"Part Three"
– review by Peter Knego in ''Maritime Matters''
Oceania Cruises official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Insignia Cruise ships Ships built in France 1998 ships