MV Karnika
ex Pacific Jewel, Ocean Village Two, Aidablu, A’Rosa Blu, Crown Princess
© Ken Larwood (Dover, May 2000)
Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1990 by Fincantieri-Cant. Nav. Italiani, Monfalcone, Italy (Yard No 5839) as a Passenger (Cruise) Vessel for Sitmar Cruises
Technical Data
- Original Cost: $276.8 million
- Length: 245.08 m (overall) 204.40 m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth: 32.25 m
- Depth: 20.03 m
- Draught: 8.20 m
- Tonnage: 69845 – 70285 gross/34907 net/6995 – 5758t deadweight
- Engines: Four MAN-B&W 8L58/64 diesels
- Power: 38880 kW/52858 bHP
- Speed: 19.5 knots (22.5 knots max)
- Capacity: 1900 passengers (1748 after rebuild)
- Crew: 621
- Passenger Decks: 11
- Call Sign: ICBB, MPRZ, C6GE9
- IMO Number: 8521220
- Port of Registry: Palermo/Italy 🇮🇹, Monrovia/Liberia 🇱🇷, Hamilton/Bermuda 🇧🇲, United Kingdom 🇬🇧, Hamilton/Bermuda 🇧🇲
- Sister Ships: Regal Princess (5840)
History
1988: Having previously been ordered by Sitmar Cruises she was sold to P&O whilst being built.
May 25th 1989: Launched.
June 29th 1990: Delivered to P&O Cruises, Palermo, Italy.
July 8th 1990: Maiden cruise from Piraeus – Mediterranean Sea.
September 13th 1990: Left Southampton for New York.
October 1990: Cruising around the Caribbean.
1992: Transferred to Princess Cruises, Monrovia, Liberia.
© Benoit Donne
🆕 © Fotoflite (Dover, 23/08/2000)
June 14th 2002: Transferred to Seetours, London and renamed A’ROSA BLU.
June 15th 2002: Maiden cruise from Hamburg.
© Aleksi Lindström (Helsinki, August 2002)
Internet Source (Dover, 2003)(Left) and © Benoit Donne (Right)
2004: Refitted and renamed AIDABLU.
2004: Commenced service for Seetours.
© Aleksi Lindström (Helsinki, 02/06/2004)
© Simonwp (Kiel, 01/07/2006)
March 28th 2007: Arrived at Lloyd Werft, Bremerhaven for refit.
March 2007: Renamed OCEAN VILLAGE TWO.
April 2007: Registered owner; Carnival UK plc.
April 17th 2007: Left Bremerhaven.
April 25th 2007: Maiden cruise from Southampton.
© Wil Weijsters (Bridgetown Barbados, 23/01/2008)
© Wil Weijsters (St Lucia, 26/01/2009) (Left) and (entering the Bosphorus, 20/06/2009) (Right)
November 2009: Renamed PACIFIC JEWEL.
© John Wilson (Brisbane, 13/07/2014)
February 2010: Management Carnival Australia.
© Walter Pless (Left) and © Glenn Towler (Right)
August 22nd 2018: Announced by P&O Cruises Australia that she would leave their fleet in March 2019.
© Tony Martin
February 19th 2019: Final voyage, for P&O Cruises Australia, departed Melbourne.
March 20th 2019: Transferred to the newly formed Jalesh Cruises Mauritius Ltd (Manager; Bernhard Schulte Cruise Services) and renamed KARNIKA, serving in the Indian market.
Internet Source
April 17th 2019: Made her maiden cruise from Mumbai to Goa.
October 12th 2020: Jalesh Cruises ceased trading, blaming coronavirus and mounting debts. The ship, currently anchored off Mubai, will be sold for scrap.
November 28th 2020: Arrived at Alang for breaking.
December 4th 2020: Beached and scrapping commenced.
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: Benoit Donne, Fotoflite, Ken Larwood, Aleksi Lindström, John Wilson, Tony Martin, Walter Pless, Glenn Towler and Simonwp for their assistance in producing this feature.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
