MV Amera
ex Prinsendam, Seabourn Sun, Royal Viking Sun
© Nigel Scutt (Dover Strait Shipping)
Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1988 by Oy Wärtsilä Ab, Helsinki, Finland (Yard No 1296) as a Passenger (Cruise) Ship for Royal Viking Line, Nassau, Bahamas
Technical Data
- Length: 204.02m (overall) 171.50m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth of hull: 28.90m
- Depth: 9.85m
- Draught: 7.250m
- Tonnage: 37,845 gross/14,054 net/6,150 deadweight
- Engines: Four 8-cylinder Sulzer-Wartsila geared diesels
- Propulsion/propellers: 21,120 kW/28713 bhp/2
- Speed: 21.8 knots
- Capacity: 768
- Passenger decks: 8
- Crew: 469
- Navigation Officers: European
- Call Sign: C6DM3, PBGH, C6EA7
- IMO Number: 8700280
- MMSI Number: 311000840
- Official Number: 715915 (LR 1993 94)
- Registry: Nassau/Bahamas 🇧🇸, Rotterdam/The Netherlands 🇳🇱, Nassau/Bahamas 🇧🇸
Current AIS Location
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History
January 21st 1988: Keel laid.
May 17th 1988: Floated out of her building dock.
November 26th 1988: Delivered to Kloster Cruise Line Ltd, Nassau, and managed by Royal Viking Line A/S
© Chris Howell
© Brian Fisher
January 8th 1989: Officially named at San Francisco and introduced into worldwide cruising.
1994: Sold to Cunard White Star Line, Nassau, Bahamas.
© Tim Becker
April 4th 1996: During a world cruise in 1996 ran aground on a coral reef in the Gulf of Aqaba and her hull was breached. All passengers were safely evacuated. The ship was seized for a while by Egyptian authorities.
April 22nd 1996: Arrived at Valletta, Malta, for repairs.
June 12th 1996: Returned to service.
© Simonwp (Tyne, 01/08/1999)
November 26th 1999: Bareboat chartered to Seabourne Cruise Line, Oslo, Norway. Renamed SEABOURN SUN.
© Brian Fisher
© John Jones
© Aleksi Lindström
© Tony Martin
May 15 2001: “Holland America Line revealed the new name to be given the vessel, which will be transferred from Seabourn Cruise Line in June of 2002: PRINSENDAM. This important name has not been used since the 1973-built PRINSENDAM was lost by fire in 1980 off Alaska (with all passengers safely rescued). She will embark on cruises ranging from 10 to 18 days in her first year following a series of introductory events on the US East Coast.”
April 2002: Sold to Holland America Line, Antillen N.V. Rotterdam, Holland. Renamed PRINSENDAM.
© Cees Bustraan
June 13th 2002: Maiden cruise from Southampton.
© Aleksi Lindström
© Willem Oldenburg
September 8th 2017: Due at Dover for her only scheduled visit during 2017.
© Nigel Thornton
© John Mavin
July 1st 2018: Sold to German cruise company Phoenix Reisen. However, the ship is being chartered back to Holland America to continue sailing its planned voyages through July 1, 2019. Prinsendam itineraries from July 1, 2019 onward are scheduled to be assimilated by the ROTTERDAM, VOLENDAM and VEENDAM. Under Phoenix Reisen ownership her new name will be AMERA. (Info’ courtesy of Cruise Critic)
5th Ship for the deep-sea fleet of the Bonn cruise operator
In 2019 MS Prinsendam, under the name of MS Amera, will set sail for Phoenix Reisen. The takeover of the beautiful ship with space for about 800 passengers will take place in July next year, so that after a several-week shipyard time, the newcomer can still travel in August 2019.
The deep-sea cruiser, set sail for the first time in 1988 as the Royal Viking Sun, fits perfectly into the Phoenix travel fleet with its classic promenade deck, spacious outdoor and indoor areas and many balcony cabins. Benjamin Krumpen, Managing Director of Phoenix Reisen, is very pleased with the conclusion of the contract: “We have been raving about Prinsendam for a while and are very happy that we will be able to present this wonderful ship in the typical Phoenix design on the German-speaking market in the future.”
More information about MS Amera and its 2019 travels will be available shortly.
Source: Phoenix Reisen
May 6th 2019: Last call at Dover under her current name of PRINSENDAM
July 1st 2019: Completed her final schedule for Holland America Line in Amsterdam.
July 1st 2019: Sailed to Ijmuiden.
July 1st 2019: Sailed to Hamburg and renamed AMERA for Phoenix Reisen
© Christian Eckardt (Hamburg, 11/07/2019)
August 18th 2019: Arrived in Dover.
© Nigel Scutt (Dover Strait Shipping)
© Stan Muller (Antwerp, passing Hansweert, 19/08/2019)
August 14th 2023: Called at Dover.
🆕 © Port of Dover (Dover, 14/08/2024)
All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Tim Becker, Cees Bustraan, Christian Eckardt, Brian Fisher, Chris Howell, John Jones, Aleksi Lindström, Tony Martin, John Mavin, Stan Muller, Netty, Willem Oldenburg, Simonwp, Nigel Scutt (Dover Strait Shipping) and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
