kships: Prinsendam, 5 July 2010

02 August 2010

Prinsendam, 5 July 2010

Prinsendam

IMO 8700280
Built 1988, Wärtsilä Marine Turku New Shipyard, Finland
Tonnage 37 983 GT
Length 205,50 m
Width 28,90 m
Draught 7,20 m
840 passengers
4 Wärtsilä-Sulzer diesels, combined 21 120 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 22 knots

Prinsendam was built in 1988 by as the Royal Viking Sun the Wärtsilä Marine shipyard in Turku for Royal Viking Line, which was one of the most luxurious cruise lines of the time. The Royal Viking Sun was, at the time, rated as a five-star ship (today, following the ever-rising standard of the cruise industry, she's only 4+ stars). Royal Viking Line soon entered hard times, and in 1994 the company assets were split between the Norwegian Cruise Line and Cunard Line: Cunard took the Royal Viking Sun and the Royal Viking Line brand, while NCL took the rest of the Royal Viking fleet. Subsequently the Royal Viking Sun was marketed as a Cunard Royal Viking Line ship, with her funnel colours modified to be a combination of Cunard's Royal Viking's colours.

Following the sale of Cunard to the Carnival Corporation in 1998 the new owners decided reorganise Cunard's operations. As a part of this, the Cunard Royal Viking brand was shut down and the Royal Viking Sun was transferred to the fleet of Seabourn Cruise Line as the Seabourn Sun in 1999. The relatively large Seabourn Sun was ill-fitting in Seabourn's fleet of yacht-like ships, and in 2002 she was again transferred within the Carnival Corporation, now to the fleet of Holland America Line and renamed Prinsendam. As a smaller ship than most of HAL's fleet, she has been marketed their "elegant explorer", capable of entering ports that are too shallow for the line's larger ships.

Photographs below are of the Prinsendam on Kruunuvuorenselkä on 5 July 2010, shortly after departing the Katajanokka cruise quay in Helsinki. Click on the image(s) to view full size.