Pacific Jewel
The Pacific Jewel at the White Bay - investors in Sydney
- Crown Princess (1990-2002)
- A'Rosa Blu (2002-2004)
- AIDAblu (2004-2007)
- Ocean Village Two (2007-2009)
- Astramar SpA (1990-1992)
- Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, Ltd.. (P & O) ( 1992-2000)
- P & O Princess Cruises plc. (2000-2003)
- Carnival Corp.. & plc ↳ Costa Crociere SpA (2004-2007)
- Carnival plc ( UK) (since 2007)
Lloyd 's Register of Shipping
IMO no. 8521220
The Pacific Jewel (Eng. Pacific Jewel ) 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.
In German-speaking countries the ship from 2002 as A'Rosa Blu and from 2004 to 2007 was known as AIDAblu. Completed in 1990, it was the first of two identical vessels. In 1991 followed the second is the present-day Pacific Dawn.
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 began until then mainly 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 a contract for 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 be - 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 ship with hull number 5839, today's Pacific Jewel, was completed in 1990 and passed on June 29.
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 of the American P & O Princess Cruises daughter. Was registered the ship in Liberia and its maiden voyage took from July 9 from the Greek port of Piraeus through the Mediterranean. On September 13, it crossed the Atlantic from Southampton to New York. There, the Italian actress Sophia Loren then took the official christening of the ship as Crown Princess. This was the name of the ship but only until 2002. Crown Princess of Princess Cruises today is a new building in 2006, again by Fincantieri.
Use
After the christening sat Princess Cruises ship from the fall of 1990 for cruises from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean one. In 1992, Princess Cruises eventually took over ownership of the ship. As flag it initially remained in Liberia, registered in 2000, Princess Cruises ship to Bermuda to. On June 26, 2001 fell during a European cruise from the ship's engines and the ship had to be towed to Copenhagen. Just a few days later decided P & O to withdraw the ship from Princess Cruises.
In Rostock we had in the meantime the cruise daughter Seetours taken of DSR (DSR ) and the brand AIDA ( AIDA Cruises today ) and A'Rosa, which were designed to appear more on the German market is still relatively undiscovered with her. The ship was rebuilt at Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven and baptized on 14 June 2002 by actress Iris Berben on A'Rosa Blu. Under this name it was a year in the Caribbean, traveling in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Baltic and North Sea.
In 2003, the previously established from the P & O P & O Princess Cruises was formed with the American Carnival Corporation today the world market leader Carnival Corporation & plc. Thus, the plans changed. The German Seereederei sold its stake in P & O Princess Cruises, by whom she at least has been involved so far indirect, in the Seetours business and took the A'Rosa business back for her daughter Arkona, from which in 2009 finally the A-ROSA river ship GmbH emerged. The Carnival Corporation & plc decided to transfer the aligned to Germany cruise operation with all its vessels, and the brand AIDA its Italian subsidiary, Costa Crociere. The A'Rosa Blue was therefore of 13 - 27 April rebuilt by Blohm Voss Repair in Hamburg and as AIDAblu. taken under the Italian flag back into service. It should be used alongside the other, much smaller AIDA ships, training the German crew to take over the new buildings of the Sphinx class in a similar size to that had been ordered for the expansion of the brand AIDA Cruises. After "Sphinx I" as Aida Diva went on to ride in the spring of 2007, the parent company Carnival Corporation & plc decided to withdraw the AIDAblu.
The ship supported now on the Ocean Village brand, which was designed to transfer the German success concept of a casual Club vacation at sea on the UK market under the slogan "the cruise for people who do not do cruises ". After another tag on the Lloyd shipyard, the ship received on 24 April 2007 by the models Jemma and Jodie Kidd the name Ocean Village Two and went to entry into the British flag register in the summer to drive to the Mediterranean and in the winter months in the Caribbean.
On October 30, 2008, however, the Carnival Corporation & plc announced surprising that she would not continue to operate the Ocean Village brand. The two ships were transferred to Ocean Village, P & O Cruises Australia. From the Ocean Village Two, the Pacific Jewel was in December 2009 with a new home in Brisbane. There was also already completed in 1991 under the hull number 5840 identical sister on duty, the Pacific Dawn.
The Ocean Village, ex - Sitmar FairMajesty followed the end of 2010 as Pacific Pearl and their transfer to Australia eventually brought still all former Sitmar newbuildings in a fleet together.
On 27 August 2010, some scenes of the Australian television series Neighbours ( original title: Neighbours ) were filmed on board. A sixty -person film crew to record the serial actor Ryan Moloney and Eve Morey filmed in the hallway and in the circus arena on the upper decks. Many crew members were involved in the scenes as part of the on-board entertainment. The consequence of this the resulting series to a cruise went in the fall of that year in the early evening program in Australia and New Zealand on the air.