MS ''Albatros'' was a ''Royal Viking Star''-class

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 ...

, operated by the

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

-based travel agency

Phoenix Reisen Phoenix Reisen is a Germany-based travel agency that also operates a fleet of cruise ships. The company first entered the cruise business in 1988 by chartering the Soviet Union-owned cruise ship . History Phoenix Reisen first begun operating crui ...

until 2020 when she was taken out of service, and scrapped in 2021. MS Norwegian Star (4163364643) (cropped)

History

She was built in 1973 by

Wärtsilä Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (), trading internationally as Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish company which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include technol ...

Helsinki Shipyard Helsinki Shipyard Oy is a Finnish shipbuilding company based at Hietalahti shipyard in Helsinki, Finland. The company was established in 2019 to continue the shipbuilding activities of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard in Finland. History Helsinki S ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

for

Royal Viking Line The Royal Viking Line was an upmarket cruise line that operated from 1972 until 1998. The company was the brain child of Warren Titus and had its headquarters at One Embarcadero Center in San Francisco. History The First Ships Each of the lin ...

as ''Royal Viking Sea'', and has also sailed under the names ''Royal Odyssey'' for Royal Cruise Line, ''Norwegian Star'' for

Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), also known in short as Norwegian, is an American cruise line founded in 1966, incorporated in Bermuda and headquartered in Miami. It is the fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, controlling about 8.6 ...

, and ''Crown''. She was the second ''Albatros'' for Phoenix Reisen as she was the replacement of the original . MS ''Albatros'' was also known for her -esque

funnel A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...

. In October 2020 ''Albatros'' was sold as a hotel vessel for the Pick Albatros Group in the Middle East, which operates some 15 hotels and resorts in

Hurghada Hurghada (; ar, الغردقة ', ) is a city in the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt. It is one of the country's main tourist centres located on the Red Sea coast. Overview Hurghada was founded in the early 20th century. For many decades it wa ...

region. However, the project was never initiated, and the ship stayed at Hurghada until sold in 2021 for scrap, after a stop in

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

. She was beached in Alang on July 27, 2021. Scrapping on Albatros started on 17 November 2021. According to the NGO Robin des Bois, the Hotel Ship project was a trick to export the ship from Germany to India for scrapping.

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

*
Phoenix Reisen company website
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*
Homepage of the TV-series ''Verrückt nach Meer''
Cruise ships Ships built in Helsinki 1973 ships {{cruise-ship-stub