There are many passenger ships about over 40 year old and still in service with many of them having been rebuilt.

Although she was one of the original ' Love Boats ' the ' Discovery ' was also one of the first modern designed and furnished ships built just for cruising and not as a passenger ship which also carried cargo.

Although 11 years old older and slightly smaller the Portugese owned ' Funchal ' recently had her crew and passenger accomodation rebuilt for about Euros 9.5 million which shows for a ship of the size of the ' Discovery ' it could still be cheaper refitting her than building a new cruise ship of the same size.

Since owning her, Phoenix Reisen Cruises have added balconies to the original 1984 built ' Royal Princess ', which is now named ' Artania '.

She will shortly be out of service for about 12 weeks being completely re-engined and also having other major work carried out including the addition of more cabin balconies which is again cheaper than building a new cruise ship.

Its nice for a stroll down memory lane, but not very profitable for today's cruise lines.

Older tonnage, that isn't scooped up by someone who has the cash to refit them, and a market to place them in, usually will end up on a beach somewhere.

We've seen time and time again, where old tonnage ends up, sadly in a state that renders them useless. I could rattle off a few choice names of ships we've seen in the last year rust away, burn to the bottom and just end up on some forlorn beach somewhere on the other side of the world.

The static ship is also a thing of the past, and we've seen as well how that format works out.

(read: Not Well).

Discovery might be a classic ship but I think her lifespan has about been reached. Sometimes you just have to put an old girl out to pasture.

Phoenix Reisen has done well with hand me down ships that they have been able to reconfigure and sail them in markets where they are useful.

Island and Pacific, you just can't tack balconies on the hull like Carnival did to some of the Fantasy class. And on another note, you'd have to knock some cabins completely out and make bigger cabins with larger beds and lots more space to make her profitable. And the less cabins there are in a refit, the less profit that ship is going to bring in.

So what are the odds on refitting a 40 year old ship and making her profitable, or does her current owner sell her to the highest bidder for scrap?

World Markets are hungry for new tonnage, sparkling hulls and lots of flash and bang.

quote:

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Originally posted by Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company.:
Since owning her, Phoenix Reisen Cruises have added balconies to the original 1984 built ' Royal Princess ', which is now named ' Artania '.

She will shortly be out of service for about 12 weeks being completely re-engined and also having other major work carried out including the addition of more cabin balconies which is again cheaper than building a new cruise ship.
.[/QB]

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Changing the subject a bit I was of the understanding that the 'new balconies' were just actually replacements. She already has 152 balconies on deck 7&8.

Is she really having more added?

quote:

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Originally posted by PamM:
I was of the understanding that the 'new balconies' were just actually replacements.

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Pam,

that is correct. All of her "original" balconies on deck 7 and deck 8 will be replaced. No new balconies will be added.

Best,

They were told that having been sold she is off to Alang !

Although she did appear off of Falmouth on Saturday she has now entered the Bay of Biscay and cruising at about 10.30 knts. but still showing Falmouth as her destination

One of the ship brokers who buys ships for breaking at Alang also deals in the sale of second hand ships and has sold ships on in the past for continued service.

Having headed north tonight she is showing on the AIS ship position maps as now due to arrive at Bhavnagar about 14.00 hrs on the 1st December 2014 which is an area with shipbreaking yards .

RIP

One of the Lloyds Surveyors who has worked on the ' Discovery ' , and is known to me, had said it was known that a number of her safety certificates were due for renewal and also a lot of work was required on her lifeboats and davits to meet the latest regulations.

This has no doubt put off any interested parties after some of the similar problems prevented her sister ship ' Pacific Princess ' being repaired and returned to service but not before some new stocks of spares parts on board had been transfered to the ' mv Discovery ' when she was having a lot of work carried out at Genoa.
.

[ 11-30-2014: Message edited by: Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company. ]

It could be that they are waiting for a high tide or as she had only moved at about 4.5 knots from leaving the anchorage area near to Mumbai it could be they are still trying to decide how to drive her ashore and thereby reduce the costs of breaking her.

It's happened.