Voyages to Antiquity’s Aegean Odyssey (1973/11,563gt) will be taken out of service at the end of October for a major refit that will include the installation of a number of additional cabins on what is currently an open deck at the stern. It is thought that the ship will also have sponsons added to counter the weight of the extra accommodation. It is perhaps surprising that the ship is having such a major rebuild so early in her career, having only re-entered service with her current operator in 2010.
The ship has an interesting history, having been built in Romania in 1973 as the ro-ro cargo ship Narcis for Zim Israel Navigation. Dolphin Hellas Shipping bought her 12 years later and had her rebuilt as Aegean Dolphin, under which name she began cruising in 1988. In 1996 she was renamed Aegean I and undertook two interesting charters, with Discovery Cruises and Renaissance Cruises.
She later operated for Golden Star Cruises before being laid up in 2006. In 2008 she was rescued as the object of Gerry Herrod’s latest venture and came back into service, much improved, two years later. Recently, a further eight cabins were redesignated for single occupancy, bringing the singles total to 24.
