Goodbye SS Norway

[pgh]

Apparently rumors are abound. This is the current news per Maritime Matters:

 

UPDATE: June 28: Gulf newspaper Khaleeji Times front page headline today, reads "Dubai bid to save historic cruise liner". The story concerns a group of investors reportedly in a bid to save purchase BLUE LADY( ex FRANCE, NORWAY), from her Indian breakers and spend US$100-120 million refitting the ship as a luxury floating hotel and conference center moored in Dubai's harbour. The newspaper reports "Project Dubai" to be offering the breakers approximately US$3 million for not scrapping the vessel. Meanwhile, the ship moves slowly towards the beach of doom.

 

UPDATE: June 29: An article in the Hindu Times today places BLUE LADY, ex FRANCE, NORWAY a few nautical miles from Alang in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat Coast. The owner of Haryana ship demolition company is reported to have said that, "she is expected to reach Pipavav port tonight or by early morning tomorrow." The ex FRANCE has yet to receive permission to be beached at Alang and will be anchored at Pipavav port of Amreli district tonight, or early tomorrow. The BLUE LADY will be allowed into Alang only after the local authorities are given the green light by the Supreme Court. The Court had previously permitted "safe anchorage" to the vessel but had directed that the ship cannot be beached or dismantled until it is properly inspected by cout appointed experts

[Solo Wing]

Death gives birth to new life buddy and I'm sure some of its parts will be salvaged to be used for other ships, so a part of it will live on.

[cruzincurt]

We still have our room key from one of the rear penthouses we were in on her last cruise. Wonder what it would be worth on e-bay?

[Shawnee Indian]

"Kumar Steel of Alang (the current owners of the vessel)"

 

Current Owners?

Did I miss the sale??

[Don Haynes]

Since Star Cruises had so much trouble selling the ship directly to the scrappers, they sold the ship a few months back to an intermediaterly, who sold the ship to the scrappers. Its out of Star Cruises hands now.

[Globaliser]

Save for the rumours that a retention of title clause is still operating because the scrapper hasn't actually paid the money ... ;)

[Druke I]

Maritime Matters reports 6-30-06 that she is now at Pipavav Port, 100 KM SouthWest of Alang.

[Goldryder]

Not sure what to make of this report, but if true, then Norway's future at the breakers, let alone anywhere else, is in serious doubt....

 

Did mystery ship owners lie over fate of ssNorway?

 

DOCUMENTS obtained by enviornmental campaigners appear to show the present owners of the ssNorway, the famous cruise liner Dubai investors want to save from an Indian ship breaking yard, gave false information to marine, government and court officials...........

 

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2006/June/theuae_June941.xml&section=theuae

 

 

Something doesn't add up in the paperwork or, it seems, the actual sale of the vessel to the breakers from Star.

[Globaliser]

Maritime Matters reports 6-30-06 that she is now at Pipavav Port, 100 KM SouthWest of Alang.

It doesn't take things much further, but there's an MSNBC report dated 30 June here, together with a picture.

[Globaliser]

Sorry, double-post (untrapped by board software!).

[salty dingo]

The Dubai deal seems like the only hope for the ship (that, plus the asbestos, but one has to believe a safe way to handle asbestos can be found.)

 

I have been to Dubai, and they pride themselves on shiny, new, state of the art buildings. I just can't imagine a rusty old liner being hauled into the harbor as a hotel. It just does not make sense to me. Why spend money converting a ship to a hotel when they could simply build a new hotel? If they need land, they just create an island. That is how they built the Burj-al-Arab resort.

[mtchg]

Whether as scrap or a hotel (the latter preferable) The great SS France/Norway's seafaring days are over.

 

My first two cruises were on converted ocean liners. The first on the

Mardi Gras (a ship, recently scrapped; with quite a history itself); the second on the beautiful Norway in 86. It was a Jazz themed cruise and

what memories of Cab Callaway and the likes of the Woody Herman Band in the big theatre and more contemporary jazz groups playing till the wee hours in the huge and elegant Club Internationale. Jazz legend Anita O'Day (though I hadn't heard of her at the time) came into our room the first day and comisserated with us on the lack of outlets (I think there was ONE...unlike

the public areas of the ships, the lower categorie cabins, even by 80's standards were barely adequate), and then personally invited us to her show. She was quite a character to talk to and gave a great performance with full orchestra.

 

Sadly, the Norway easily outlasted my marriage (it was a honeymoon cruise),

but I'll never forget that ship and feel fortunate that unlike so many today, I

had the opportunity to be a passenger on a truly historic oceanliner.

 

 

Mitch

[dfishner]

The Norway was the first cruise I ever took, I remember the ship well, we lose so much of cruise history when ships end up that way. A burial at sea whould of been a suitable ending for her.