MV Club Harmony

Ex Costa Marina,  Italia, Regent Sun, Axel Johnson

© John Mavin

Steel twin screw motor vessel, originally built in 1969, as the container ship AXEL JOHNSON by Oy Wartsila Ab. Abo, Finland (Yard No 1169) for Johnson Line Ab, Stockholm

 Technical Data

• Original Cost: $130 million
• Length on deck: 174.25m(571.8 ft)(1969) overall, 174.25m (1990)
• Breadth of hull: 25.75m(84.4 ft) extreme)(1969), 25.75m (1990)
• Draught: 10.39m(34.09 ft) maximum (1969), 8.20m (26.1’)(1990)
• Tonnage: 16,285 gross(1969), 25,441 (1990)/10,152 net/14,700 deadweight, 16,080, 6,121 (1990)
• Engines: Two 16PC2-V and Two 12PC2-V Wartsila-Pielstick Diesels (1969)/Four 6R46 Wartsila diesels (1990)
• Propulsion/Propellers: (19,139kW) (1969), 19123kW) (1990)/2
• Speed: 23 (1969),19 (1990)
• Capacity: 6 passengers (1969) containers 885 (20ft) (1969), 1066 passengers (1990)
• Passenger decks: 8
• Crew: 400 (1990)
• Call Sign: SMPN, IBNC
• IMO Number: 6910544
• Registry: Stockholm Sweden 🇸🇪, Naples/Italy 🇮🇹, Monrovia/Liberia 🇱🇷, Genoa/Italy 🇮🇹, Majuro/Marshall Islands 🇲🇭
• Sister Ship: Costa Allegra (1170)

History

January 1^st 1969: Launched.

June 1969: Delivered to Johnson Line Ab, Stockholm, together with her sister ship ANNIE JOHNSON, was introduced into service for round the world container traffic.

© Mike Griffiths (Rotterdam, early 1980’s)

© John Jones (Le Havre, 05/02/1983)(Both)

1986: Sold to Regency Cruise Line, Piraeus, (being registered to Amafiss Navigation, Co, Limassol) and renamed REGENT SUN.

October 15^th 1986: It was planned that she would undergo conversion to a cruise ship, but the plans had to be scrapped owing to financial difficulties.

1988: Sold to Navyclup, Italy and renamed ITALIA then being laid-up pending conversion.

1988: Ownership transferred to Costa Grociere, Italy, being renamed COSTA MARINA.

September 1998 – July 1990: Rebuilt by Mariotti Yard, Genoa.

September 19^th 1990: Maiden cruise with invited guests.

September 22^nd 1990: First cruise in the Mediterranean. The winter months of the same year saw her cruising the Caribbean.

© Carlo Martinelli (Genoa, 04/11/1990)

© Fotoflite  (17/07/1995)(Left) © Ken Larwood (Right)

© John Mavin (Both)

April 2002: Saw her in cruise service for the German market cruising Baltic, Europe and the Mediterranean where she remained. One of her ports of call being Dover.

© Ted Ingham (Dover 2004)

© Aleksi Lindström (Rendsberg, 07/07/2008)

© Marcel and Ruud Coster (IJmuiden, 23/05/2009)

200?. Familiar with Red Sea/Persian Gulf cruises.

November 2011: Ceased trading for Costa Cruises.

November 2011: Chartered to Polaris Shipping Co Ltd and renamed CLUB HARMONY .

February 16^th 2012: Harmony Cruises with departure port Busan, South Korea.

October 24^th 2014: Arrived at Alang, India for scrapping.

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: Marcel and Ruud Coster, Fotoflite, Mike Griffiths, Ted Ingham, John Jones, Ken Larwood, Aleksi Lindström, Carlo Martinelli and John Mavin for their assistance in producing this feature.

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