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quote:Originally posted by mike sa: Either they are doing it on the cheap or they believe she will roll less ?
4200 pax full of food and drink will act as good ballast!
[ 03-09-2009: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]
quote:Originally posted by Atlantic:It would certainly look much better! Nice job.
It would certainly look much better! Nice job.
Thank you! I am glad you liked it.
[ 03-09-2009: Message edited by: Cunard Fan ]
quote:Originally posted by joe at travelpage:NCL released "official" images of Norwegian Epic today:
Joe,IMO, the Noweigan Epic is certainly of epic proportions. It has got to be the most hideous cruise ship that I have ever seen. I wonder what sort of comments would Mr. Knut Kloster make on the ship in comparison to the SS Norway?
Could you ever imagine if that was the rebuilt version of the SS United States?
quote:Originally posted by LeBarryboat:Malcolm, I did talk with him off the air about the BigU. He said that Star is actually handling the sale of the ship, which has been transfered to a holding company set up by Star. They do want the ship to go to a buyer who will take care of the ship properly, they do not want to see the ship scrapped. Star, however, is asking an astronomical amount of money for the ship...they want $20 Million. I don't think they will get that kind of money.
Hi Barry,$20 Million for the Big U is a kings' ranson to Star Cruises. To them, the buyer either pays their asking price, or the ship gets sold to Mr. Sanjay Metha. No one wants to see the Big U follow in the SS Norway's footsteps to Alang. I am quite positive that someone will meet the asking price. But we all know that Star Cruises has a history of saying one thing and doing the exact opposite. No one is falling for their lies anymore. Everyone knows that Star Cruises plans to rid themselves of the Big U as they did to the SS Norway. Thus, we must assume that the Big U will be sold for scrap.
However by asking that sort of price NCL/Star is going to destroy a piece of American history as it is unlikely that anyone in the USA will pay that price for the ship so she will be broken up.
Transfering her to another company is one of the tricks they have used before, to make it appear they are not involved in the sale.
They must think people are gullable !
quote:Originally posted by viking109:Got to agree with Redline, the asking price for the U is so utterly ridiculous....
I'm sure that the price is open to negotiation. I wonder how much NCL paid for her originally?
quote:Originally posted by Neil Whitmore ( Bob ex P&O Cruises):When she is sold it is not even as if any money will be made from furnishings etc as she is more or less a bare shell.However by asking that sort of price NCL/Star is going to destroy a piece of American history as it is unlikely that anyone in the USA will pay that price for the ship so she will be broken up. Transfering her to another company is one of the tricks they have used before, to make it appear they are not involved in the sale.They must think people are gullable !
Destroying a piece of American history. Sorry that's not true. The Americans themselves are the one who layed up the US not NCL. They decided that there was no place fore here in the merchant navy. They neglect here. And made it difficult fore foreign bidders to buy here. Remember that NCL looked at here but decided to buy the France. Actually here design made here a difficult ship to operate and later to adopt fore cruising. Suddenly there is interest in here and suddenly she must be preserved. Here time is come and quite late to. To put the blame on NCL is not right.
While NCL / Star may be the most recent owners and indeed may turn out to be the last Big U has spent decades rusting away and the American government (and thus people) are the ones who stimied previous projects etc.
(The SS France's convertion to become the SS Norway cost $80 million in 1979, $237 million in today's money).
It's ironic that Veitch said "When we discovered this American icon was in jeopardy, we saw a unique opportunity and acted immediately"... "The S/S United States would be a phenomenal addition to our US flag operation down the road"..."but we will now organize a project team to work with US yards, naval engineers and architects to develop plans for what should be the fourth vessel in our US flagged fleet."
It looks like NCL/Star are are putting her in 'jeopardy' again!
[ 03-10-2009: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]
quote:Originally posted by viking109:Anyone know how much NCL paid for the Big U?.
Probably just above her scrap value. The 25,000 ton Maxim Gorkiy was recently sold for arouund $4 million dollars. The 53,000 ton ssUS could be double that amount.
[ 03-10-2009: Message edited by: NauticalCities ]
As for the 'Epic'. She looks a little bit like MSC Fantasia w/different funnel and built up forward section.
But out there, there has to be some private money to do something meaningful with the ship. With all of the cash out of the stock market, somebody has to be looking to dump it into something.
quote:Originally posted by FL_Cruiser64:That one looks like 'baby' Epic, Didn't she flip over or something? [...]
No, she utmost certainly did not 'flip over'. She sank after running aground at Santorini.
quote:Originally posted by Ernst:No, she utmost certainly did not 'flip over'. She sank after running aground at Santorini.
Actually she did flip over as she was sinking, which might be what Ft_Cruiser meant...
quote:Originally posted by Cunard Fan:Actually she did flip over as she was sinking, which might be what Ft_Cruiser meant...
Thank you both. I knew there was some flipping.
OK. Maybe the water helped a little, just a little....
quote:Originally posted by LeBarryboat:... I'm not at liberty to say too much at this time, but there is a plan in the works for the BigU, a collaborative effort between as number of parties including NCL, the Conservancy and some other organizations that does not include scrapping the ship.
1 - You can't say much for now...2 - You're in the "secret"...3 - There's an underground plan or collaborative effort to save the BIG U.
That's exactely what you've told us on several occasions before NCL had finally purchased her. An option you had then not "envisionned" or were aware of just before it occured by the way.I even seem to recall you've said a more or less similar thing about the SS NORWAY, in 2005 or 2006.
We all know how things have turned out...
Not that you're responsible of that of course, but I think it's time for you to stop spreading again false "secret" plans into which you're confabulating again by letting us believing you're "in the know".
Either, there's an actual serious plan and thus it must remain secret and you must NOT disclose that possibility (and the entities involved) now as you're doing, either there's nothing or nothing really serious at all, and then, you're confabulating.
[ 03-15-2009: Message edited by: Vaccaro ]
Ernie
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