Celestyal Crystal

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Celestyal Crystal in Santorini
History
1980-1990
Name
  • 1980–1986: Viking Saga
  • 1986–1990: Sally Albatross
Owner
  • 1980–1982: Rederi Ab Sally
  • 1982–1989: Suomen Yritysrahoitus
  • 1989–1990: Partrederiet Sally Albatross[1]
Operator
Port of registry
Ordered22 December 1978[1]
BuilderWärtsilä Perno Shipyard and Turku Shipyard, Turku, Finland[1]
Yard number1247[1]
Launched4 January 1980[2]
Christened20 March 1980[1]
Acquired26 June 1980[1]
In service27 June 1980[1]
Out of service9 January 1990[1]
IdentificationIMO number: 7827213[1]
FateDestroyed by fire while in drydock in Nacka, Sweden. Completely rebuilt, 1990-1992 (technically considered the same ship).
StatusRemains in service as of 2023, see below.
General characteristics (as built, 1980)[1]
Class and typeViking Saga class cruiseferry
Tonnage
Length145.18 m (476 ft 4 in)
Beam25.49 m (83 ft 8 in)
Draught5.51 m (18 ft 1 in)
Ice class1 A Super
Installed power
  • 4 ×
    Pielstick
    12PC2-5V-400 diesels
  • 19,124 kW (combined)
Speed21.3 knots (39.4 km/h; 24.5 mph)[2]
Capacity
  • 2,000 passengers
  • 1,300 berths
  • 426 cars[2]
General characteristics (as rebuilt, 1988)[1]
Typecruise ship
Tonnage
Length149.96 m (492 ft 0 in)[2]
Capacity
  • 1,016 passengers
  • 1,016 berths
NotesOtherwise the same as built
1992 onwards
Name
  • 1992–1995: Sally Albatross
  • 1995–2000: Leeward
  • 2000–2002: SuperStar Taurus
  • 2002–2006: Silja Opera
  • 2006–2007: Opera
  • 2007–2011: Cristal
  • 2011–2015: Louis Cristal
  • 2015–2023: Celestyal Crystal
Owner
  • 1992–1992:
    Sally Oy Ab
  • 1992–1995: Silja Line
  • 1995–2002: Crown Jewel, Inc
  • 2002–2006: Silja Line
  • 2006–2007:
    Sea Containers Ltd
  • 2007–2007: Citron Navigation Corp.
  • 2007–2007: Opera Acquisition, LLC
  • 2007–2012: Citron Navigation Corp.
  • 2012–Present: Cristal Trading Opco LLC[3]
Operator
Port of registry
Ordered22 December 1978[1]
Builder
Finnyards, Rauma, Finland[1]
Yard number309[1]
Laid down1990[1]
Launched25 July 1991[4]
Christened25 July 1991[1]
Completed1992
Acquired23 March 1992[1]
Maiden voyage23 March 1992[1]
In serviceMarch 1992[1]
Identification
StatusOut of service
General characteristics (as rebuilt, 1992)[1]
Typecruise ship
Tonnage
  • 25,076 GT
  • 25,611 GT (after 1995)
  • 1,703 DWT
Length158.90 m (521 ft 4 in)
Beam25.20 m (82 ft 8 in)
Draught5.80 m (19 ft 0 in)
Decks9 (passenger accessible), with 476 cabins[5]
Propulsion
  • 2 propellers
  • 2 bow thrusters
  • 1 stern thruster
Speed21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Capacity
  • 1,452 passengers
  • 1,200 passenger (after 1995)
  • 950 passengers (after 2000)
  • 1,409 passengers (after 2002)[4]
NotesOtherwise the same as built

Celestyal Crystal is a

Finnyards, Rauma, Finland. She was re-delivered in 1992, still named Sally Albatross. After partially sinking 1994 she was rebuilt at Industrie Navali Meccaniche Affini, La Spezia, Italy, re-entering service as Leeward for Norwegian Cruise Line. Subsequently she sailed as SuperStar Taurus for Star Cruises, Silja Opera for Silja Line. After being temporarily renamed Opera she was in service with Louis Group as Louis Cristal and later Celestyal Crystal.[1]

History

Viking Saga

MS Viking Saga in original appearance and livery

The ship was originally built in 1980 for Rederi Ab Sally, one of Viking Line partners as the cruiseferry MS Viking Saga. The bow and stern modules were built at Wärtsilä Turku Shipyard and the middle part was made at Wärtsilä Perno Shipyard. The modules were assembled together and the ship was launched in Perno and the hull was tugged after to Turku Shipyard for outfitting.[2]

In 1979-1981 the Baltic ferry operators

MS Silvia Regina
, were instrumental in turning the Helsinki — Stockholm route into a popular cruise route.

In June 1982, the ship was sold by Rederi Ab Sally to Suomen Yritysrahoitus, who chartered her back to Sally.[2] In 1985 the Viking Saga hit bottom near Sandhamn in the Stockholm archipelago, and had to be docked in Stockholm.[6]

Sally Albatross (I)

Sally Albatross in Stockholm

After

Helsinki New Shipyard.[2] She did not become a "real" cruise ship as her cardecks were not built in. During conversion there was a fire on board, but it was extinguished by the shipyard staff.[6] Renamed Sally Albatross, the ship entered service for the new Sally Cruise brand in May 1986. She was mainly used for cruising around the Baltic Sea from Helsinki.[2]
In 1987 Rederi Ab Sally was sold to its rivals
markka.[2]

Fire

Sally Albatross after the fire

In January 1990, while docked at the

oxy-acetylene
used in the reconstruction) exploding in the heat, the fire brigade withdrew from the interior of two decks under reconstruction, after having rescued the two crew members that were missing during the initial phase of the fire. Further fire fighting was conducted from the outside and from the decks above and below the reconstruction work. As a result, the ship burned extensively for three days.

All workers and crew (and an American actress who had been on board) were rescued by the fire brigade and a crane operator from the shipyard and there were no deaths.[6]

Sally Albatross (II)

Reconstruction

Sally Albatross as she appeared after the 1992 rebuilding. The model is on display at the Finnish Maritime Museum.

The burnt-out hull was first towed to

Finnyards shipyard in Rauma, Finland where they were used as the basis of a new ship with the project name Sally Eurocruiser.[2] She was to be a genuine cruiseship, without a cardeck. The hull was lengthened by 13 meters compared to the original, and the passenger (cabin) capacity was increased by 452, so the new ship was actually larger than the old one.[4] One notable piece retained from the original ship were the engines.[2] The cost of the rebuilding was approximately 700 million Finnish markka.[4]
In essence this was a completely new ship, and she is usually listed as such in most sources. Her owners decided to keep the name Sally Albatross, which has led to some sources (and many passengers) to consider the second Sally Albatross to be the same ship as the first.

The new Sally Albatross was delivered to

markka per day. Originally Svea 92 had wanted to charter Silja Line's Swedish-flagged MS Svea (which would have matched the name better). In September that same year Sally Albatross was transferred to Silja Line, who also were a part of the EffJohn concern. Despite joining the Silja fleet Sally Albatross' old colour scheme and Sally Cruise funnel colours were maintained.[4]

Although the 1980 ship and the 1992 ship appear unalike, both externally and internally, they share the same IMO number because they are technically the same ship.[1]

A video of Sally Albatross after her ran aground, 1994

On 4 March 1994 Sally Albatross ran aground in the

FIM ($35 million USD).[4]

Leeward / SuperStar Taurus

Leeward in Miami, Florida

In October 1994 the ship was towed to

Bahamas from July 1995 onwards. In March 2000 the ship was chartered for three years to Star Cruises (owners of Norwegian Cruise Line) who renamed her Superstar Taurus and used her on various cruises around Asia, mostly cruising from Japan. In December 2001 Star Cruises broke the charter contract and the ship was once again in the hands of Silja Line.[4]

Silja Opera

Silja Opera departing Helsinki sometime between 2002 and 2005

Superstar Taurus sailed back to Europe, and between February and June 2002 she was vastly rebuilt at

St. Petersburg.[4] The ship already had a reputation as a ship of bad luck amongst the public (she had after all burnt out completely once and partially sunk only a few years later, in addition to smaller mishaps), and this was not helped when in September 2003 she collided with three cargo-ships in Saint Petersburg, resulting in minor damage to all parties. Less than two months later, in almost precisely same spot, she collided with a Russian icebreaker.[8]

In 2005 Silja Opera's livery was altered with additional blue stripes, resembling the livery she carried as Sally Albatross between 1992 and 1994.

Silja Opera's cruises from Helsinki were not very popular, and in October 2004 she began making cruises from Stockholm to Tallinn (via

tax-free sales on board). These too failed to find popularity, and in February 2005 she was transferred back to cruising from Helsinki.[4] Around this same time her white-dominant livery was changed to one closely resembling her Sally-era livery, but with blue stripes instead of black. With the ship continuing to lose money, in September 2005 Silja Line made public its plans to use cheaper foreign workforce on board. However they could not do so under the terms Swedish maritime worker's collective labour agreement.[8] Two months later Silja Line decided to cut costs by concentrating on their core markets and the Silja Opera, alongside the prestigious GTS Finnjet, was to be sold.[8] In January 2006 Silja Opera made her last cruises from Helsinki, after which she was transferred to the Turku—Mariehamn—Kapellskär route in place of MS Silja Europa (that was in turn transferred to Helsinki—Stockholm route while the normal ships of that route were being rebuilt). On 13 February 2006, the Silja Opera stopped sailing for Silja Line, and three days later she was laid up Stockholm, waiting for potential buyers.[4]

On 22 May 2006, Silja Opera left Stockholm for the last time bound for lay up at

SeaContainers, then the parent company of Silja Line. At the same time she was changed from Swedish to Bahamian flag and her name was shortened to Opera.[4]

Crystal

Cristal in Istanbul, 2010

In May 2007 the Opera was sold to the

Louis Hellenic Cruise Lines -brand in July 2007.[4]

Celestyal Crystal

As part of

Louis Cruise Lines re-brand as Celestyal Cruises, announced in November 2014, Crystal was renamed Celestyal Crystal[9]
and received a new livery.

On 27 June 2015, Celestyal Crystal collided with the

tanker STI Pimlico in the Dardanelles off Gallipoli, Turkey. Three people sustained minor injuries.[10][11]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic all cruises from March 16, 2020 to March 6, 2021 were suspended.[12]

Following the acquisition of the new Celestyal Journey, Celestyal Crystal was phased out, ending her last cruise on 20 August 2023. It was reported that the ship was sold to Shimizu Cruises, to operate as Erena on cruises in Japan starting from 2024, but this was denied by Celestyal.[13][14]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-951-98405-7-4
    .
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Asklander, Micke. "M/S Viking Saga (1980)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  3. ^ a b "Cristal (12391)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Asklander, Micke. "M/S Sally Albatross (1992)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  5. ^ "Cruise ship: Cristal > Ship Specifications". Louis Cruise Lines. Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d "Turun Sanomat article on the history of Silja Opera". turunsanomat.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 14 July 2007.
  7. ^ "Accident Investigation Board of Finland report on the sinking" (PDF). onnettomuustutkinta.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 14 July 2007.
  8. ^ a b c "Sally Albatross / Silja Opera". Valkeat Laivat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
  9. ^ "Our ships: Celestyal Crystal". Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Cruise Ship Collides with Tanker off Gallipoli". World Maritime News. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  11. ^ "Cruise ship Celestyal Crystal collides with tanker STI Pimlico at Dardanelles". SeaNews.tr. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Celestyal Cruises voluntarily extends suspension of cruise operations until 2021". Celestyal Cruises. 30 June 2020.
  13. ^ Leipert, Christopher (7 August 2023). "Celestyal Crystal hat die letzte Reise für Celestyal Cruises beendet – Ausflottung steht bevor ("Celestyal Crystal has completed its last voyage for Celestyal Cruises – de-fleet is imminent")". Kreuzfahrt Aktuelles (in German). Apensen. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  14. ^ "Celestyal denies reports of sale of Celestyal Crystal to Shimzu cruises". 9 September 2023. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MS Cristal.
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