Pacific Dawn (ship)

In the Baie du Santal, Easo, Lifou, New Caledonia

  • Regal Princess (1991-2007)
  • Astramar SpA (1990-1992)
  • Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, Ltd.. (1992-2000)
  • P & O Princess Cruises plc. (2000-2003)
  • Carnival plc ( UK) (since 2003)

Lloyd 's Register of Shipping

IMO no. 8521232

The Pacific Dawn (Eng. Pacific Dawn ) is a cruise ship in the British-American Carnival Corporation & plc. Since the end of 2009, it is for the brand P & O Cruises Australia at the British Sub Carnival UK in the service. She sails under the flag of the UK with homeport London, but their cruises start each in Brisbane, Australia.

Initially provided as Regal Princess with Princess Cruises in service in 1991, she followed the same design as the second sister ship of today's Pacific Jewel.

History

Prehistory

In 1984 Sitmar Cruises ( Società Italiana Trasporti Marittimi ) negotiated, a subsidiary of Russian-born shipowner family Vlasov under Boris Vlasov, with the state's Italian shipyard Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani SpA on the construction of two new cruise ships. Fincantieri was indeed with eight yards was already one of the largest shipbuilding companies in Europe, but the plans looked at as a great opportunity and challenge, after no more passenger ship was built in Italy since the Eugenio C. for Costa Crociere in 1966. Sitmar Cruises put a hitherto predominantly converted cargo ships for cruises, and afraid of being left behind in the incipient arms race of the American competitors Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line with their specially focused on the booming cruise market and more and more new buildings. As the negotiations dragged on by the Italian Government claims longer, the French shipyard Chantiers de l' Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, was commissioned to build the Sitmar FairMajesty for 153 million U.S. dollars by the end of 1988. For a second ship was agreed to an option by the end of 1986.

The Italian government was shocked and changed tactics. She offered Sitmar for more ships now special conditions, and the company actually brought so far as to drop the option for the construction of the second ship in France and an agreement on two identical cruise ships of the " fourth generation " of 70,000 GRT each 280m complete. U.S. dollars with Fincantieri.

Planning and construction

The ships should receive a very special Italian look. For its design, the architect Renzo Piano was winning, was already known with his designs for the construction of the Paris Centre Georges Pompidou worldwide fame. The later Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi had spoken to him in his capacity as president of the state-owned holding Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI) to the Fincantieri shipyard belonged. Pianos designs owes the ship the curved forms and the rounded structure above the bridge, which was modeled after the head of a swimming dolphin. The original plans are said to be have been far futuristic, for cost reasons, but were rejected and revised again.

For the ownership of the new ships Boris Vlasov founded under the name Astramar a new subsidiary based in Palermo. Sitmar Cruises to become the lessee after the completion of the ships. He wanted to argue for the works contract tax benefits as Italian shipping company and deal with the criticism that had been voiced for a long time to nationality of his company several EU countries. Although he had actually moved the company headquarters shortly after the death of his father, the company founder, Alexander Vlasov in 1961 to Monaco, the shipping company was still officially Italian.

In 1987, however, Boris Vlasov died unexpectedly and the company ran into trouble. Since the British shipping company P & O saw their chance. For them, the projection of the competition in the expansion of the cruise fleet would - have been catching up with only a few years late - if at all. They therefore already attracted a fusion of one's cruise division with another company in consideration. In July 1988, succeeded to the P & O chairman Lord Sterling, for 210 million U.S. dollars, the heirs of Vlasow cruise line the cruise sector and thus the Fincantieri as Hull no. 5839 and 5840 contained already in construction ships abzukaufen.

Commissioning

The second ship with hull number 5840, today's Pacific Dawn, was completed in 1991 and passed on July 20.

For the first two years the ship was initially planned as Boris Vlasov and fixed in the contract, the property of the Italian Astramar. This, now under the leadership of P & O, left the ship as Regal Princess, the American P & O Princess Cruises daughter. The ship in Liberia and after its official christening on 8 August 1991 in New York Registered provided by the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher immediately for the same route from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean in service on during the winter months under the name Crown Princess even the year before, completed sister ship was in use.

Use

In 1992, Princess Cruises eventually took over ownership of the ship. As flag it initially remained in Liberia, registered in 2000, Princess Cruises, the ship then in Bermuda. Between May and September -week cruises were offered to Alaska, followed by a trip from Los Angeles to numerous islands in the South Pacific from Vancouver.

During the 1998 Alaskasaison ill on board a greater number of passengers to a viral infection. After failure of all attempts to get more infections with this for some of the passengers very seriously running condition even during operation in the handle, you pulled the boat from the July 5, 1998 for a week from circulation. Bedding, towels and all surfaces with which the patient might have come in contact, were disinfected with a chlorine solution and by irradiation with ultraviolet light.

In November 2000, the ship ran first time in Sydney Harbour and launched a series of several weeks tour through various stations in New Zealand to Auckland, before returning in March of Sydney back in its annual application to Alaska. On the return voyage, the ship sat but after stopover in Cairns on 16 March 2001 on the starboard side on a sandbank on. After only a few hours drive to Darwin could be continued, but where only a minor damage was found on the bulbous bow, which could have originated when placed on the sandbar just as well but even before that at one of the Caribbean rides. Further investigation of the incident revealed that the channel, the harbor entrance was for a ship the size of the Regal Princess too small and was probably approved of commercial interests with insufficient safety distance from Cairns. On the other hand, however, that the bridge is not perfectly occupied and the rudder of the ship was difficult to control under certain conditions, for structural reasons ..

In autumn 2003, spread towards the end of the journey from Europe across the Atlantic and back in their previous application, again a viral infection on board from. This time with the Norwalk virus, a norovirus variant. Two officers of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a disinfection team were flown. The suspicion of infection was already at 217 passengers and crew members, when the crew received instructions, abszusagen more stops in Greenland and Newfoundland and directly calling at the Port of New York. Sick passengers were asked to stay in their cabins and wait for about 48 hours, after which the symptoms subside usually. They were given as long as room service. Upon arrival, suffered only four people on the virus and cleaning staff and Deseinfektionsteams prepared the ship at full speed for his next ride before, so that should already start on September 4, two days later.

After it was already considered agreed that the shelf would follow Princess of the dislocation of her sister Crown Princess brand A'Rosa on the German market, not just this brand has been sold, but there was also more generally the far-reaching changes in the company. The previously established already from the parent company P & O P & O Princess Cruises still formed in 2003 with the American Carnival Corporation today the world market leader Carnival Corporation & plc. Also a angedachte for 2006 gain of the sister ship at Ocean Village was no longer implemented, cruises for this brand in 2010, eventually even ceased.

The Regal Princess remained until 2007 when Princess Cruises. Then finally the decision was made to move the ship at the end of the 2007 season for growing brand P & O Cruises Australia. Even before the transfer, the ship ran aground in Huatulco, Mexico on reason. The ship was able to free himself again and reach the port of Acapulco at slow speed. The following two trips were canceled to perform necessary repairs.

In November 2007, the ship was taken in Sydney for his new role in receiving and baptized by the Australian athlete and winner of the Olympic gold medal in the 400m race Cathy Freeman on the name Pacific Dawn. Under this name it has since been used on trips to the South Pacific and Southeast Asia.

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