''Borealis'' is a cruise ship of
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is a UK-based, Norwegian-owned cruise shipping line with four cruise ships. The company is owned by Bonheur and Ganger Rolf and is headquartered in Ipswich, Suffolk, in the United Kingdom. The company is part of the F ...
, sailing since July 2021. She was built as MS ''Rotterdam'' and was the co-flagship for
Holland America Line
Holland America Line is an American-owned cruise line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States.
Holland America Line was founded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and from 1873 to 1989, it operated ...
, for which she sailed for 22 years.
Construction and career
As ''Rotterdam''
![Ms Rotterdam, verlicht in de avond in Rotterdam (43164215744)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Ms_Rotterdam%2C_verlicht_in_de_avond_in_Rotterdam_%2843164215744%29.jpg)
Commissioned in 1997 by the
Holland America Line
Holland America Line is an American-owned cruise line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States.
Holland America Line was founded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and from 1873 to 1989, it operated ...
, the vessel was christened as ''Rotterdam'' by
Princess Margriet of the Netherlands
Princess Margriet Francisca of the Netherlands (born 19 January 1943) is the third daughter of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard. As an aunt of the reigning monarch, King Willem-Alexander, she is a member of the Dutch Royal House and currently ...
on 9 December 1997, in
Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, Florida, and made its first call at the
Port of Rotterdam
The Port of Rotterdam is the largest seaport in Europe, and the world's largest seaport outside of East Asia, located in and near the city of Rotterdam, in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. From 1962 until 2004, it was the List o ...
on 10 June 1998. ''Rotterdam'' was the sixth Holland America vessel to bear the name. She was named for of 1959, and also named after the city of
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
, Netherlands.The ship paid homage to the 1959 ''Rotterdam's'' by having trademark twin funnels, along with lounges and dining rooms sharing the same name as the 1959 ship.
MS ''Rotterdam'' and her sister ship were co-
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
s of Holland America Line (HAL).
''Rotterdam'' carried an art collection on board worth over US$2 million and featured fine art and antiques.
In September 2004, the vessel lost power when all four engines failed during
Hurricane Karl
Hurricane Karl was the most destructive tropical cyclone on record to strike the Mexican state of Veracruz. The eleventh tropical storm, sixth hurricane, and fifth and final major hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, Karl formed from ...
while doing a
transatlantic crossing
Transatlantic crossings are passages of passengers and cargo across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe or Africa and the Americas. The majority of passenger traffic is across the North Atlantic between Western Europe and North America. Centuries ...
. Swells reached . Many passengers suffered injuries during this period, the most severe being fractured bones. ''Rotterdam'' regained power and continued its journey to
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...
, arriving on 28 September.
During the summer of 2011, ''Rotterdam'' conducted Holland America Line's first standalone transatlantic crossing since 1971, making a single trip both eastbound and westbound.
Refit
In 2012, ''Rotterdam'' received a major refit in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
. The upper aft superstructure was rebuilt with the addition of extra cabins, and the removal of the aft swimming pool.
2020 Coronavirus pandemic
Sold to Fred Olsen cruises
Due to the pandemic and shutdown of the cruise industry, the flagships ''Rotterdam'' and sister ''
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
'' were sold to
Fred Olsen Cruises in summer 2020. The ship sailed from its namesake city one final time as the ''Rotterdam'' on 11 August 2020. A new (VII) debuted in July 2021.
As ''Borealis''
![Borealis (ship, 1997) at Liverpool Cruise Terminal 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Borealis_%28ship%2C_1997%29_at_Liverpool_Cruise_Terminal_2.jpg)
In the fall of 2020 the ship sailed to Scotland and was laid up with the rest of Fred Olsen fleet prior to being refitted for service. The name ''Borealis'' refers to a ship of the same name that was part of the Fred. Olsen line in 1948, before it became a cruise line. The transformation of ''Rotterdam'' to ''Borealis'' started in August 2020 at
Damen Shipyards
The Damen Group is a Dutch defence, shipbuilding, and engineering conglomerate company based in Gorinchem, Netherlands.
Though it is a major international group doing business in 120 countries, it remains a private family-owned company.
Dame ...
in Schiedam, near Rotterdam with completion in July 2021. Shortly after making its maiden trip, ''Borealis'' suffered a technical issue that caused the cancellation of a cruise as the ship remained in Portsmouth.
Borealis’ homeport is
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
.
[https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/shipbuilding-refurb-equipment/cammell-laird-completes-fred-olsens-borealis-multimillion-pound-refurb]
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Borealis, MS
1996 ships
Maritime incidents in 2004
Ships of the Holland America Line
Fred. Olsen & Co.
Ships built in Italy
Ships built by Fincantieri
Cruise ships involved in the COVID-19 pandemic