Louis Cruise Lines has sold Aquamarine (1971/23,149gt) for US$23,375,000 to Mexican company Corporation de Cruceros Nacionales, which has renamed the vessel Ocean Star Pacific. She was scheduled to sail from Piraeus for an unknown destination on 22 December 2010.
Aquamarine was constructed by the Finnish shipbuilder Wärtsilä in Helsinki as the 18,000gt 724-passenger Nordic Prince, the second of three identical sisters ordered by the fledgling Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Ten years later she went back to her builder to be lengthened, which increased her passenger capacity to 1,202.
In 1995 she was sold to Sun Cruises, a subsidiary of Airtours, who had to remove the distinctive Viking Crown Lounge which was wrapped round the ship’s funnel, as part of the agreement. Renamed Carousel, she changed hands again in 2004 and was sold to Louis Cruise Lines as Aquamarine. In May 2006 she was chartered to German-based Transocean Tours as Arielle, but this charter was cancelled in spring 2008.
Louis has already laid up The Emerald and Sapphire and, with the sale of Aquamarine, currently has an active fleet of five vessels, which it operates directly.
