Orient Queen
ClassCruise Ship | Flag state- |
Maiden Voyage Date1968 | Cruise Age56 |
Cruise LineLouis Group Plc | Category- |
Ship statistics
Gross Tonnage15,781t | Deck Levels- | Crew-to-Passenger Ratio- |
Length160.11m | Decks with cabins- | Passengers-to-space ratio- |
Width22.84m | Cabins- | Ice Class- |
Passengers- | Displacement- | Inflatable boat- |
Current position
Call signT8A2909 | Draught of a vessel6.6 | Bow heading |
IMO6821080 | Lat37°56'20.0"N | Lon23°38'07.1"E |
MMSI215467000 | Nav statusMoored | |
Introduction to the cruise
History
Operator
1968–1995: Norwegian Caribbean Line
1995–2001: Festival Cruises
2001–2004: Spanish Cruise Line
2004: Eysian Cruise Line
2004–2006: Abou Merhi Cruises
2006–2017: Louis Cruise Lines
2017–2018: Etstur
Port of registry
1968–1988: Oslo, Norway
1988–1995: Nassau, Bahamas
1995–2006: Panama City, Panama
2006–2009: Piraeus, Greece
2009–2011: Majuro, Marshall Islands
2011–2018: Valletta, Malta
2018–2018: Malakal, Palau
Builder: A.G. Weser, Werk Seebeck
Yard number: 935
Laid down: 15 January 1967
Launched: 21 June 1968
Completed: 30 November 1968
Maiden voyage: 1968
In service: 1968
Out of service: 2018
Identification
Call sign: 9HA2738
IMO number: 6821080
MMSI number: 215467000
Fate: Scrapped at Alang, India in 2018.
General characteristics
Type: cruise ship
Tonnage: 15,781 GT
Length: 160.11 m (525 ft 4 in)
Beam: 22.84 m (74 ft 11 in)
Draught: 6.7 m (22 ft 0 in)
Decks
7 passenger decks, with 414 cabins
8 decks with 355 cabins
Speed: 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Capacity
714/912 as of 2005
828/910
Crew: 400
The MS Starward was a cruise ship built in 1968 at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremerhaven, West Germany. Originally commissioned for Norwegian Caribbean Line after the success of its first ship, Sunward, Starward was the first purpose-built ship for the newly-established cruise line. In 1995, Starward was sold to Festival Cruises, which they renamed the vessel Bolero. The vessel was shortly chartered to Spanish Cruise Line, however, it was sold to Abou Merhi Cruises after Festival Cruises was forced to declare bankruptcy in early 2004. In 2006, Louis Cruise Lines bought Orient Queen and kept the name intact. Orient Queen was briefly used the United States Government in 2006 to evacuate U.S. citizens out of Lebanon due to conflict between Lebanon and Israel. Louis Cruise Lines renamed the ship to Louis Aura in 2012. In 2017, Etstur, a Turkish travel agency, chartered the ship and renamed it to Aegean Queen. She was sold to for scrap the following year, and was broken up in Alang, India.
History
After the success of Sunward, Knut Kloster, founder and owner of Norwegian Caribbean Line, asked naval architect Tage Wandborg to design an optimum cruise ship for the market. Built at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremerhaven, West Germany, Starward would also have a roll-on/roll-off freight capacity to transport vehicles. During construction, however, the demand for cruises on Sunward greatly exceeded, which prompted Kloster to request Wandborg to change the design and exclude the freight capacity for cabins instead. On 21 December 1968, Starward sailed on its first cruise out of Miami, Florida, United States. Starward was the first Norwegian-flagged ship to meet American ‘Method 1’ fire-protection standards that specified the use of non-combustible materials throughout passenger and crew accommodations.
Starward as Louis Aura in the Port of Piraeus
In 1995, Greek line Festival Cruises announced that Starward would be delivered to them from Norwegian Cruise Line in October of the same year, renaming the vessel to Bolero. In 2001, Festival Cruises chartered the ship to Spanish Cruise Line. Following the collapse of Festival Cruises, Bolero was bought by Cruises Elysia in 2004 who sold her on to Abou Merhi Cruises as Orient Queen. She was refitted the following year at a cost of $9.5 million, with the addition of a helicopter pad that was added and managed by Österreichischer Lloyd Ship Management. Orient Queen operated from Beirut for six months with seven-day cruises to Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, and Turkey. In November 2005, the ship was re-positioned in Dubai to begin what was an unsuccessful Persian Gulf cruise program, providing the first luxury cruise line service between Dubai and Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The ship was then positioned in Beirut and scheduled to begin a 2006 cruise season in the Mediterranean Sea.
In July 2006, Orient Queen was used to help evacuate United States citizens from Lebanon because of the ongoing conflict with Israel. Orient Queen was escorted by USS Gonzalez, a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer, and USS Barry. It took the evacuees to the port of Larnaca in Cyprus.
Starward as Aegean Queen in the port of Rhodes (city) on 18 September 2017
In August 2006, Orient Queen was sold to Louis Cruise Lines of Cyprus and operated cruises under the same name. In 2013, Louis Cruise Lines renamed Orient Queen as Louis Aura, which sailed to the Greek Isles from Limassol, Cyprus and Piraeus, Greece. Under the flag of Malta, the ship was owned and operated by the Cyprus-based company Louis Cruises. For the summer season of 2014, the ship executed 3/4/5/6 & 7-day cruises to the Greek Isles departing from Limassol, Cyprus.
In 2017, the Turkish travel agency Etstur chartered the ship. At the end of May 2017, the ship was renamed Aegean Queen after more than a year's layover and returned to service in July 2017. In October 2017, the ship was again out of service near Piraeus. With her 49 years of service, she was one of the longest-serving cruise ships in the world.
In 2018, she was sold for scrap, and was broken up at Alang, India on 17 July 2018.
Operator
1968–1995: Norwegian Caribbean Line
1995–2001: Festival Cruises
2001–2004: Spanish Cruise Line
2004: Eysian Cruise Line
2004–2006: Abou Merhi Cruises
2006–2017: Louis Cruise Lines
2017–2018: Etstur
Port of registry
1968–1988: Oslo, Norway
1988–1995: Nassau, Bahamas
1995–2006: Panama City, Panama
2006–2009: Piraeus, Greece
2009–2011: Majuro, Marshall Islands
2011–2018: Valletta, Malta
2018–2018: Malakal, Palau
Builder: A.G. Weser, Werk Seebeck
Yard number: 935
Laid down: 15 January 1967
Launched: 21 June 1968
Completed: 30 November 1968
Maiden voyage: 1968
In service: 1968
Out of service: 2018
Identification
Call sign: 9HA2738
IMO number: 6821080
MMSI number: 215467000
Fate: Scrapped at Alang, India in 2018.
General characteristics
Type: cruise ship
Tonnage: 15,781 GT
Length: 160.11 m (525 ft 4 in)
Beam: 22.84 m (74 ft 11 in)
Draught: 6.7 m (22 ft 0 in)
Decks
7 passenger decks, with 414 cabins
8 decks with 355 cabins
Speed: 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Capacity
714/912 as of 2005
828/910
Crew: 400
The MS Starward was a cruise ship built in 1968 at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremerhaven, West Germany. Originally commissioned for Norwegian Caribbean Line after the success of its first ship, Sunward, Starward was the first purpose-built ship for the newly-established cruise line. In 1995, Starward was sold to Festival Cruises, which they renamed the vessel Bolero. The vessel was shortly chartered to Spanish Cruise Line, however, it was sold to Abou Merhi Cruises after Festival Cruises was forced to declare bankruptcy in early 2004. In 2006, Louis Cruise Lines bought Orient Queen and kept the name intact. Orient Queen was briefly used the United States Government in 2006 to evacuate U.S. citizens out of Lebanon due to conflict between Lebanon and Israel. Louis Cruise Lines renamed the ship to Louis Aura in 2012. In 2017, Etstur, a Turkish travel agency, chartered the ship and renamed it to Aegean Queen. She was sold to for scrap the following year, and was broken up in Alang, India.
History
After the success of Sunward, Knut Kloster, founder and owner of Norwegian Caribbean Line, asked naval architect Tage Wandborg to design an optimum cruise ship for the market. Built at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremerhaven, West Germany, Starward would also have a roll-on/roll-off freight capacity to transport vehicles. During construction, however, the demand for cruises on Sunward greatly exceeded, which prompted Kloster to request Wandborg to change the design and exclude the freight capacity for cabins instead. On 21 December 1968, Starward sailed on its first cruise out of Miami, Florida, United States. Starward was the first Norwegian-flagged ship to meet American ‘Method 1’ fire-protection standards that specified the use of non-combustible materials throughout passenger and crew accommodations.
Starward as Louis Aura in the Port of Piraeus
In 1995, Greek line Festival Cruises announced that Starward would be delivered to them from Norwegian Cruise Line in October of the same year, renaming the vessel to Bolero. In 2001, Festival Cruises chartered the ship to Spanish Cruise Line. Following the collapse of Festival Cruises, Bolero was bought by Cruises Elysia in 2004 who sold her on to Abou Merhi Cruises as Orient Queen. She was refitted the following year at a cost of $9.5 million, with the addition of a helicopter pad that was added and managed by Österreichischer Lloyd Ship Management. Orient Queen operated from Beirut for six months with seven-day cruises to Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, and Turkey. In November 2005, the ship was re-positioned in Dubai to begin what was an unsuccessful Persian Gulf cruise program, providing the first luxury cruise line service between Dubai and Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The ship was then positioned in Beirut and scheduled to begin a 2006 cruise season in the Mediterranean Sea.
In July 2006, Orient Queen was used to help evacuate United States citizens from Lebanon because of the ongoing conflict with Israel. Orient Queen was escorted by USS Gonzalez, a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer, and USS Barry. It took the evacuees to the port of Larnaca in Cyprus.
Starward as Aegean Queen in the port of Rhodes (city) on 18 September 2017
In August 2006, Orient Queen was sold to Louis Cruise Lines of Cyprus and operated cruises under the same name. In 2013, Louis Cruise Lines renamed Orient Queen as Louis Aura, which sailed to the Greek Isles from Limassol, Cyprus and Piraeus, Greece. Under the flag of Malta, the ship was owned and operated by the Cyprus-based company Louis Cruises. For the summer season of 2014, the ship executed 3/4/5/6 & 7-day cruises to the Greek Isles departing from Limassol, Cyprus.
In 2017, the Turkish travel agency Etstur chartered the ship. At the end of May 2017, the ship was renamed Aegean Queen after more than a year's layover and returned to service in July 2017. In October 2017, the ship was again out of service near Piraeus. With her 49 years of service, she was one of the longest-serving cruise ships in the world.
In 2018, she was sold for scrap, and was broken up at Alang, India on 17 July 2018.
