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MV Boudicca – Past and Present

IMO Number: 7218395

MV Edi

Ex Boudicca, Grand Latino, Superstar Capricorn, Hyundai Kumgang, Superstar Capricorn, Golden Princess, Sunward, Birka Queen, Sunward, Royal Viking Sky

Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1973 by Oy Wartsila Ab, Helsinki, Finland (Yard No 396) as a Passenger (Cruise) Ship for Det Nordenfjeldske D/S, Trondheim under the banner of Royal Viking Line, Oslo, Norway

Technical Data

  • Cost: $22.5 million
  • Length on deck: 177.70m (overall)(1973), 205.47m (1982), 206.96m/169.73m (between perpendiculars)
  • Breadth of hull: 25.19m (extreme)(1973), 25.19m (1982), 25.22m
  • Draught: 7.30m (maximum)(1973), 7.30m (1982), 7.547m
  • Tonnage: 21,891 gross (1973), 28,078 (1982), 28,372 (ITC 69)/11,649 net (ITC 69)/3,595 deadweight (1973), 5,660 (1982), 5,956
  • Engines: Four 9-cylinder Sulzer-Wartsila diesels (1972)/Four MAN B&W 7L 32/40 diesels (2005)
  • Propulsion/propellers: 13,400kW (1972)/2, 14,000kW/2 (2005)/2
  • Speed: 21.5 knots
  • Capacity: 536 (1973), 812 (1982), 1,022 (1997), 1,396 (1998)
  • Passenger decks: 8
  • Crew: 310
  • Navigation Officers: European
  • Call Sign: C6VA3, D6A2659
  • IMO Number: 7218395
  • Official Number: 8001101
  • MMSI Number: 309964000
  • Registry: Trondheim/Norway 🇳🇴, Panama 🇵🇦, Nassau/Bahamas 🇧🇸, Moroni/Comoros 🇰🇲
  • Sister Ships: Royal Viking Sea (397), Royal Viking Star (395)

History 

December 1st 1971: Keel laid.

May 25th 1972: Launched.

June 5th 1973: Delivered to Det Nordenfjeldske D/S, Trondheim. Operated by Royal Viking Lines for cruising.

© Wolfgang Fricke  © Wolfgang Fricke

Royal Viking Sky – © Wolfgang Fricke (Hamburg, 01/08/1973)

September 9th 1982 – November 27th 1982: Lengthened by 28 metres at A.G. Weser, Bremerhaven.

November 27th 1982: Delivered back to her owners.

May 1984: Agreement in principle for sale to US investor group did not proceed.

August 1984: Sold to Norwegian Caribbean Lines A/S, Oslo, but continued in Royal Viking Line operation.

1987: Transferred to Kloster Cruise, Nassau, Bahamas.

© Ken Smith

Royal Viking Sky – © Ken Smith

September 14th 1991: Renamed SUNWARD.

© Don Hazeldine

Sunward – © Don Hazeldine

May 1992: Sold to Birka Line Ab, Mariehamn, Finland.

May 1992: Arrived at Hortens Varv, Norway. Renamed BIRKA QUEEN and given a complete refit and overhaul.

June 21st 1992 – October 23rd 1992: Operated between Stockholm – Riga, Stockholm – St Petersburg.

October 27th 1992: Chartered out to Kloster Cruise Line, Bergen, Norway. Renamed SUNWARD at the same time being transferred to Birka Cruise Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas.

June 1993: Chartered out to Princess Cruises. Renamed GOLDEN PRINCESS.

© Glenn Towler  © Don Hazeldine

Grand Princess – © Glenn Towler (left) and © Don Hazeldine (right)

June 13th 1993: Maiden cruise from San Francisco to Alaska.

July 7th 1996: Suffered a fire in her engine-room leading to complete engine failure. Towed to Victoria in Canada where all passengers disembarked safely.

July 8th 1996: Arrived in San Francisco for repairs.

January 1997: Sold to Star Cruises Private Ltd, Singapore. Renamed SUPERSTAR CAPRICORN. Rebuilt with additional cabins.

March 1998: Commenced operations from New York as a floating casino.

May 1998: Ceased operations owing to heavy financial losses.

September 20th 1998: Chartered out to Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd, Panama for five years. Renamed HYUNDAI KUMGANG.

November 18th 1998: Operated as a pilgrim ship in North Korea.

December 2001: Hyundai Merchant Marine Co went bankrupt and the vessel was returned to Star Cruises. Renamed SUPERSTAR CAPRICORN.

January 2004: Sold to Viajes Iberojet, Spain . Renamed GRAND LATINO.

© Brian Fisher  © Brian Fisher

Grand Latino – © Brian Fisher

2004: Registered owner recorded as Iberojet SA

2004: Commenced cruising in the Mediterranean.

© Carlos Poveda

Grand Latino – © Carlos Poveda

January 2005: Sold to Fred Olsen, Norway for delivery in October. To be named BOUDICCA. An extensive refit will be undertaken over the winter, prior to her entering service in early 2006. The public rooms will be redesigned to be match the rest of the Fred Olsen fleet, reflecting an English historical theme in both the decor and artwork on board. She will have 450 cabins with a total occupancy of approximately 850 berths. Her inaugural cruise from Dover, UK is expected to depart on February 23, 2006.

November 2005: Taken over by Fred Olsen in Santa Cruz, Tenerife. Renamed BOUDICCA.

November 2005: Departed for Hamburg, complete refit and engine change.

December 3rd 2005: Arrived Hamburg where she was dry docked. She was re-engined with 4 MAN B&W 7L 32/40 engines, each generating 3,500kW horsepower at 750rpm. Her new propeller blades were engineered by Rolls Royce and her new exhaust boilers came from Aalborg Industries of Denmark. The major refit included the creation of several dedicated single cabins in keeping with company tradition. The public rooms were redesigned to match the rest of the Fred Olsen fleet, reflecting an English historical theme in both the decor and artwork.

January 6th 2006: She was refloated and moored on the River Elbe while all engineering and soft furnishing work was completed prior to her sea trials.

February 20th 2006: Arrived at Dover for the first time. Berthed at Terminal 1 for completion of interior work and storing, prior to a series of shakedown cruises.

© Nigel Thornton  © Nigel Thornton

© Nigel Thornton  © Nigel Thornton

© Nigel Thornton  © Nigel Thornton

© Nigel Thornton  © Nigel Thornton

© Nigel Thornton  © Nigel Thornton

© Nigel Thornton

Boudicca – © Nigel Thornton (all)

February 2006: Began cruising, initially from Dover.

February 25th 2006: Her inaugural cruise (to Madeira and the Canary Islands) began from Dover.


Interior

© Nigel Thornton  © Nigel Thornton

© Nigel Thornton  © Nigel Thornton

© Nigel Thornton  © Nigel Thornton

© Nigel Thornton  © Nigel Thornton

© Nigel Thornton  © Nigel Thornton

© Nigel Thornton  © Nigel Thornton

Boudicca – © Nigel Thornton (all)


Some of her 2006 itinerary was as follows:

March 11th 2006: Arrived at Dover from Lisbon, depart to Santa Cruz

© Nigel Thornton  © Nigel Thornton

Boudicca – © Nigel Thornton (both)

April 8th 2006: Arrived at Dover from Horta, depart to Funchal

April 22nd 2006: Arrive at Dover from Lisbon, depart to Horta

October 12th 2006: Arrive from Oslo/ depart to Almeria

2006: Registered owner; Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Pte. Ltd, Singapore. Registered manager; Fred. Olsen Marine Services AS, Norway.

  

Boudicca – © Aleksi Lindström

Boudicca – © Robert Fournier (ARNO Dunkerque 2008)

December 2015: Received new livery.

“Following a recent refurbishment at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Boudicca has been given a new colour scheme and livery. Boudicca is the first ship in the fleet to be given the new colours. The previously white hull is now a dark grey, topped with a red line above.

Nathan Philpot, Sales & Marketing Director, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:

“The painting of the hulls is a positive statement and represents the on-going changes to position Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ fleet within the premium market. A grey hull harks back to Fred. Olsen’s heritage, to when the first Black Watch and Black Prince were launched in the 1930s; these were two of the most luxurious ships afloat at the time. The use of the ‘Cartier’ red line is a visual reminder to all our guests and crew of what we refer to internally as our ‘Red Carpet’ service.”

Balmoral has also began her transformation, with Black Watch and Braemar being painted in due course.”

Source: Cruise Critic

December 2015: Arrived at Tilbury sporting the new livery.

© Ian Collard   © John White

Boudicca – © Ian Collard (left) and © John White (right)

  

Boudicca – © Aleksi Lindström

July 20th 2018: Called at Dover

© Neil Hopper  © Neil Hopper

© Neil Hopper  © Neil Hopper

Boudicca – © Neil Hopper

“Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Boudicca will be setting sail on one of the most poignant and moving journeys in its history on Sunday 2nd June 2019, on The Royal British Legion’s historic seven-night ‘D-Day 75 Voyage of Remembrance’ from Dover.

Boudicca will be operating under charter to Suffolk-based Arena Travel, on behalf of The Royal British Legion, to carry up to 300 D-Day veterans – plus their carers and companions – from the iconic White Cliffs of Dover to the coast of Normandy, France. They will be attending a series of commemorative events in both England and France, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, fought on the five beaches of ‘Gold’, ‘Sword’, ‘Juno’, ‘Omaha’ and ‘Utah’, on 6th June 1944.

To commemorate this very special sailing, and a ‘first’ for Fred. Olsen, Boudicca’s exterior has been decorated with The Royal British Legion’s recognisable red poppy insignia, most notably on the bow, stern and deckhouse.!

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines

June 2nd 2019: Arrived in Dover

© Nigel Scutt, Dover Strait Shipping  © Nigel Scutt, Dover Strait Shipping

© Nigel Scutt, Dover Strait Shipping

Boudicca – © Nigel Scutt (Dover Strait Shipping)

March 19th 2020: Arrived in Dover to disembark passengers.

 

Boudicca – © Nigel Scutt (Dover Strait Shipping)

March 19th 2020: Sailed from Dover (AIS destination showing as Leith). Anchored in the Firth of Forth then sailed to Rosyth.

August 21st 2020: Fred Olsen announced the ship would be retired, but disposal is, as yet, unknown.

September 25th 2020: 

“Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has found a buyer for the classic Black Watch and Boudicca ships as the company modernizes its fleet with the addition of the former Rotterdam and Amsterdam from Holland America Line.

The Black Watch and Boudicca will leave the Fred. Olsen fleet with immediate effect, and will not be scrapped, but instead serve as hotel ships.

The ships are believed to be heading to Miray International, according to sources speaking to Cruise Industry News on the condition of anonymity.

The Turkey-based company specializes in ship management and also providing accommodation vessels for large-scale projects. Miray did not return a request for more information. “.

Source: Cruise Industry News

September 28th 2020: Departed Leith bound for Tuzla, Turkey (eta 09/10/2020).

© Brian Donovan © Brian Donovan © Brian Donovan © Brian Donovan

Boudicca – 🆕© Brian Donovan (Leith 28/09/2020)

September 29th 2020: Passed through the Dover Strait en-route to Tuzla.

 

Boudicca – © Mike Jackson (left) and Nigel Scutt (right) (Dover Strait Shipping)

 

Boudicca – © Paul Jolliffe (Dover Strait Shipping)

October 9th 2020: Arrived Tuzla Anchorage.

May 17th 2021: Reportedly renamed EDI. Arrived Aliaga, under tow, and beached. 

© Selim San

Boudicca – © Selim San (Left)


🆕”The figurehead of a young lady with a skirt made of fishing nets will now take pride of place on BOREALIS, on deck 9  overlooking the aft of deck 8.”.

© Nigel Thornton © Nigel Thornton

Boudicca © Nigel Thornton (Both)

© Fred Olsen © Fred Olsen© Fred Olsen

🆕 Fred Olsen Lines


All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions found. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Ian Collard, Brian Donovan, Brian Fisher, Fred Olsen Lines, Wolfgang Fricke, Don Hazeldine, Neil Hopper, Aleksi Lindström, Carlos Poveda, Nigel Scutt (Dover Strait Shipping), Paul Jolliffe, Mike Jackson, Selim San, Ken Smith, Glenn Towler, John White and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.

Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)

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