Samui To Pattaya...where Is This Ocean-cruiser?

[Chayaphum]

.....somebody have more news about this "Siritara Ocean Queen"

About 18 month ago, i talk with this company at bali-hai office in pattaya....

they just gave me the information that this cruiser is still on construction in bangkok.

The big promotion-party was on 29.04.2006! in pattaya......but since then, what's happend ???

enjoy this pics......

i believe now....they just bought an over 40years old cruiser and try to renovate it,

and now......it is sinking already in the Chao Phraya River?

Chayaphum

[SamuiJens]

Don't build them like they used to. (or should)

[Rooo]

Source http://www.mmtc13.org/Webboard/view_board.asp?GID=317

Thai cruise operator VAP Group has been dealt a major blow with the sinking of its only cruiseship, the 5,000-gt Siritara Ocean Queen (built 1962).

The vessel capsized in Bangkok’s Klong Toey port last week. Although an official report on the sinking has yet to be released, a source at Thailand’s marine department cites the flooding of the Chao Praya River and the resulting fast currents as the most likely cause of the disaster.

TradeWinds understands that the ship was undergoing repairs at a local shipyard at the time disaster struck.

The ship was being manned bya reduced crew and there were no fatalities reported.

The vessel is now lying partly submerged on its port side. Marine department officials would not comment on who would be responsible for removing the wreck. They say the ship will probably be refloated and then scrapped, or if that is not possible, broken up in situ. -~

Calls to VAP’s office went unanswered this week but close sources say it is unlikely that the ship will be replaced as it had not been doing very well in the domestic cruise trades.

VPN purchased the Siritara Ocean Queen in April 2004 from failed Thai casino-cruise operator Ocean Star Cruises. Prior to that, the vessel had operated in the Mediterranean under the names Silver Star and Odessa Song.

The vessel subsequently operated intermittently under the name Ocean Princess before enduring a lengthy lay up in Bangkok.

In May, it was relaunched as the Siritara Ocean Queen and operated a cruise service in the Gulf of Thailand. Thai travel-industry sources say the ship only managed to attract very light passenger loads on this new service.

The ship had been touted in the sale-and-purchase market for around $5m but was withdrawn from the sales lists several months ago.

The sinking of the Siritara Ocean Queen also spells the end of Thailand’s domestic cruise industry, which has struggled to recover from the 1997 Asian economic crisis and the December 2004 tsunami.

[SamuiJens]

Thanks for finding that Rooo. I was wondering.

[Chayaphum]

Thanks for finding that Rooo. I was wondering.

amazing thailand or just another disaster ...

thank's for your infos "Rooo" very helpfull!

the same cruiser in santorini (greece)

now i found this somewhere....

i think this is the end of thailand’s domestic cruise industry,

the idea was good, directly connection from samui-pattaya-samui

let's see what we will get in the future...maybe the seatran-ferry goes to pattaya soon? 5555

Chayaphum