MS Island Escape
Viking Serenade in San Diego
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History | |
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Name |
|
Owner |
|
Operator |
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Port of registry | |
Builder | Dubigeon-Normandie S.A., Nantes, France[1] |
Cost | $100 million[3] |
Yard number | 164[1] |
Laid down | April 6, 1981[1] |
Launched | October 16, 1981[1] |
Christened | September 28, 1982[1] |
Completed | 1982 |
Acquired | August 20, 1982[1] |
Maiden voyage | 1982 |
In service | October 2, 1982[1]-2015 |
Identification |
|
Fate | Scrapped at Alang, India in April 2018 |
General characteristics (as built, 1981)[1] | |
Type | cruiseferry |
Tonnage | |
Length | 185.25 m (607 ft 9 in) |
Beam | 27.01 m (88 ft 7 in) |
Draught | 6.80 m (22 ft 4 in) |
Decks | 10 |
Installed power |
|
Propulsion | Twin propellers[3] |
Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
Capacity |
|
General characteristics (as of 2009)[3] | |
Type | cruise ship |
Tonnage | 40,171 GT[6] |
Length | 623 ft (190 m)[5] |
Draught | 7.20 m (23 ft 7 in) |
Decks | 9 (passenger accessible)[4] |
Capacity | |
Crew | 540[4] |
Notes | Car and trailer space converted into cabin space[1] |
MS Island Escape was a cruise ship originally built as the cruiseferry MS Scandinavia in 1981.
In 1985 she was renamed MS Stardancer and in 1990 MS Viking Serenade before being converted to a cruise ship in 1991. She became MS Island Escape in 2002 being renamed once more as MS Ocean Gala in 2015. She was finally renamed MS Ocean Gala 1 before being scrapped in 2018.
History
She was built in 1982 by
She joined the fleet of
On 3 December 2015, it was reported that the vessel had been sold and was on her way to Brest, France for dry-docking, to be renamed Ocean Gala.[11]
In February 2016, Ocean Gala was offered as a floating accommodation facility through the website Floating Accommodations, managed by US Shipmanagers, a Florida company[12] and it was announced that the Swedish Migration Agency have signed a contract to use the Ocean Gala as an asylum hotel for 1790 asylum seekers. Initially, permission was sought for a 4 year stint 2016–2020 in the Harbour of Härnösand.[13][14]
Ocean Gala arrived at Utansjöverkets hamn at on 14 June 2016. A police report was filed against the owner of Utansjöverkets hamn by Härnösand Municipality, claiming the facility was missing ISPS classification.[15][16]
According to media, the compensation from the Swedish Migration Agency at SEK450/asylum seeker would generate SEK805,500/day if the asylum hotel was operated at full capacity.[17]
The asylum hotel plans did not come to fruition and the ship was put back on the market for either sale or charter in August 2016.
To avoid increased costs for heating and since Ocean Gala did not comply with Finnish-Swedish Ice Class Rules, the vessel left the port 3 November 2016. On its way to Esbjerg, a short stop was made in Tallinn to refuel.[18] The vessel was in Denmark and completed its five-year survey with class society DNVGL.
After months off Suez as channel workers floating accommodation and calls at Limassol she finally passed through the canal on 2 May 2017, heading down the Red Sea, it was speculated she was heading to Alang for Scrapping.[19] The next port turned out to be Khalifa, Abu Dhabi, for continued service.
In March 2018, after spending several months laid up in Khalifa, she set sail for Alang, where she was beached for scrapping on 4 April 2018 at Kaya plot 103.[20]
Accidents and incidents
In February 1988, chiropractor Scott Rolston murdered his wife, Karen Waltz, by strangling her and dumping the body overboard in order to make it look like a drowning. Karen was either thrown or pushed from the balcony of their cabin and fell straight down into the water below. Rolston was later convicted of her murder.[21]
On May 25, 2006, Micki Kanesaki was murdered by her ex-husband, Lonnie Kocontes, while aboard the Island Escape. Kanesaki was murdered in the same manner as Karen Waltz 18 years earlier.[22][23]
In popular culture
Island Escape was featured in a mini-series TV documentary which consisted of 10 episodes. The documentary was initially broadcast in the UK during 2002. Repeats of the documentary were later shown on
Gallery
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As Island Escape in Spain in 2006
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Island Escape in Sardinia in 2008
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Ocean Gala in Kiel
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Asklander, Micke. "M/S Scandinavia (1982)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
- ^ a b "Ship Details > Island Escape". Thomson Cruises. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
- ^ ISBN 978-981-268-240-6.
- ^ Thomson Holidays. 2012-04-23. Archived from the originalon 2012-12-27.
- ^ Virgin Holidays. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
- ^ DNV GL SE. "Equasis View". gl-group.com.
- ^ "Former Southwest Marine shipyard (Los Angeles, California)".
- Virgin Holidays. Archived from the originalon 2018-12-30. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
- ^ "ISLAND ESCAPE cruise vessel 09 July 2012".
- ^ "Splendour of the Seas Sold to TUI for Thomson Cruises". cruiseindustrynews.com. 2 March 2015.
- ^ "Thomson Cruises sells Island Escape to Cruise Holdings". CruiseandFerry.net. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
- ^ "Floating Accommodations > Our Services > Passenger Vessel > Ocean Gala". floatingaccommodations.com. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ "Planerna på asylfartyg går vidare – så vill Härnösandspolitikerna stoppa etableringen". allehanda.se. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
- ^ "Kryssningsfartyg blir nytt asylboende". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
- ^ "Företaget bakom Ocean Gala: "Finns inget som kan stoppa det"". 14 June 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Kryssningsfartyget på plats – och polisanmält". Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ Mårtensson, Sebastian (14 June 2016). "Asylbåten är framme – hamnen polisanmäld". SVT Nyheter. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Det blir Ocean Galas nästa hamnstopp Asylbåten är framme – sydligare breddgrader väntar". 3 November 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ^ A la Casse - Bulletin d'information et d'analyses sur la démolition des navires n° 47, du 1er janvier au 31 mars 2017. Robin des Bois, 5 May 2017. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
- ^ "Ocean Gala I (ex-Viking Serenade, Island Escape) To Be Scrapped | CruiseInd". www.cruiseind.com. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30.
- ^ "Death of a Bride of Nine Days a Strange End to an Unusual Courtship". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2019-07-17.
- ^ "The Lonnie Kocontes Cruise Ship Murder". 11 July 2021.
- ^ "Man Charged with Strangling Wife Seven Years After Cruise Ship Murder".
- ^ "The Cruise Ship". LocateTV.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-11.
External links
- Deck plans
- (in Swedish) Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Scandinavia (1982)
- Professional photographs from shipspotting.com
- "Island Escape (8002597)". Equasis. Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. Retrieved 2013-05-20.