MS Amera

*Amera*
	Amera in the Kiel Canal, 2019
History
Name	1988–1999: Royal Viking Sun; 1999–2002: Seabourn Sun; 2002–2019: Prinsendam; 2019–present: Amera;
Owner	1988–1994: Royal Viking Line; 1994–1998: Trafalgar House; 1998–2019: Carnival Corporation & plc; 2019–present: Phoenix Reisen;
Operator	1988–1994: Royal Viking Line; 1994–1998: Cunard Line; 1998–2002: Seabourn Cruise Line; 2002–2019: Holland America Line; 2019–present: Phoenix Reisen;
Port of registry	1988–2002: Nassau, Bahamas; 2002–2013: Rotterdam, Netherlands; 2013–present: Nassau, Bahamas;
Builder	Wärtsilä Marine Perno Shipyard; Turku, Finland;
Yard number	1296
Launched	May 1988
Christened	8 January 1989
Acquired	26 November 1988
In service	1988–present
Identification	Call sign: PBGH; IMO number: 8700280; MMSI number: 311000840;
Nickname(s)	2002–2019: Elegant Explorer
Status	In service
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	Cruise ship
Tonnage	38,848 GT
Length	674.2 ft (205.5 m)
Beam	91.8 ft (28.0 m)
Draught	23.6 ft (7.2 m)
Decks	9 passenger decks
Speed	22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) (max); 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph) (service);
Capacity	740 passengers
Crew	460
General characteristics (2002-2019)
Capacity	835 passengers
Crew	443
General characteristics (as Amera)
Class and type	Lloyd's Register cruise ship
Tonnage	39,051 GT
Length	672.57 ft (205.0 m)
Beam	95.14 ft (29.0 m)
Draught	23.78 ft (7.25 m)
Decks	9 passenger decks
Installed power	Wärtsilä-Sulzer, 4 × 7.179 PS
Speed	22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) (max); 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) (service);
Capacity	835 passengers
Crew	440

MS Amera (formerly Royal Viking Sun, Seabourn Sun and Prinsendam) is a cruise ship operated by Phoenix Reisen. She was launched in 1988 as Royal Viking Sun for Royal Viking Line, and began operating for Cunard Line under the same name in 1994. She was renamed Seabourn Sun when Seabourn Cruise Line acquired the ship in 1999. In 2002, Seabourn transferred the ship to Holland America Line, which was renamed as Prinsendam. In 2018, Prinsendam was sold to Phoenix Reisen, debuting in 2019.

History

1988–1999: Royal Viking Sun

Royal Viking Line

She was launched in 1988 as Royal Viking Sun for Royal Viking Line. Christened by godparents James Stewart and Gloria Stewart,^[2]^[3] and she was the largest ship in the fleet at the time she entered service.^[4]

Cunard Line

In 1994, Cunard Line purchased Royal Viking Sun and the Royal Viking brand when Royal Viking Line ceased operations. Cunard continued to operate her under the same name and initially retained the vessel's original livery. Later, Cunard repainted her funnel in their colours but retained the Royal Viking logo.^[5] In April 1996, the ship tore a hole in its hull after hitting a reef in the Red Sea about fifteen miles off the coast of Sharm El Sheikh while on its way to Aqaba.^[6]

1999–2002: Seabourn Sun

In 1999, Carnival Corporation merged Cunard and Seabourn and moved Royal Viking Sun to Seabourn.^[7] After an extensive refit, she was renamed Seabourn Sun.^[7]^[8] Her last cruise for Seabourn was a circumnavigation of South America in 2002.

2002–2019: Prinsendam

In 2002, Seabourn Sun was transferred to sister brand Holland America Line, after Seabourn chose to focus on its fleet's smaller vessels.^[9] Renamed Prinsendam, she underwent a refit before beginning operations.

On 1 February 2007, Prinsendam was hit by two 12-metre-tall (39 ft) rogue waves near Cape Horn; 40 injuries were reported, with some requiring hospitalisation.^[10]

On 22 March 2012, Prinsendam was en route to Portimao when she received a distress call from the Portuguese fishing boat Dario, which was sinking with eight people aboard. When the ship arrived, Dario's crew was entering a life raft. The Portuguese Coast Guard directed Prinsendam to pick up the fishermen and stand by for a helicopter to take the eight men to shore.^[11]

During her career with Holland America, she had undertaken cruises to Antarctica,^[12] and was able to transit the Kiel Canal due to her low height above the waterline.^[13]

2019–present: Amera

In July 2018, Holland America announced that Prinsendam had been sold to Phoenix Reisen.^[14] However, she was chartered back to Holland America to continue operating her scheduled voyages until 1 July 2019.^[14]

On 2 July 2019, Prinsendam began her six-week renovation at Blohm+Voss in Hamburg, and left on 12 August 2019 for Bremerhaven.^[15] She was rechristened Amera in Bremerhaven on 16 August 2019 by Petra Kaiser, a veteran Phoenix Reisen employee,^[16] before sailing to Dover for her maiden voyage to Antwerp, Amsterdam, and the Norwegian fjords, where she cruised for her inaugural season.^[17]^[18] She operated Mediterranean cruises beginning in October 2019.^[18]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d (in Swedish) Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Royal Viking Sun (1989), retrieved 7 December 2007.
^ "New Royal Viking Sun Sails to California". Los Angeles Times. January 1989.
^ Hemphill, Mary Ann. "The Godmothers Who Bless Great Ships". Buffalo News. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
^ "Cunard Line Cruise Ship Postcards".
^ "Royal Viking Sun on Unofficial Cunard Archives". Chriscunard.com. 11 July 2019.
^ Lucina Ball Moxley (1996). Travel Impressions: The Discovery of Golden Civilizations. Indianapolis: Guild Press of Indiana, Inc. p. 73. ISBN 1-878208-93-4.
^ ^a ^b Kalosh, Anne (2 July 2018). "Holland America's Prinsendam has been sold to Phoenix Reisen". Seatrade Cruise News.
^ "Archives: Royal Viking Sun". Cruise Industry News. 16 July 2011.
^ "Seabourn Sun To HAL". Findarticles.com. 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
^ Liu, Paul C. (2007). "A Chronology of Freaque Wave Encounters" (PDF). Geofizika. 24 (1): 57–70. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
^ "Prinsendam Engages in Successful Rescue Operation | Holland America Blog". Archived from the original on 31 March 2016.
^ "Busy Year Ahead for Holland America Line's MS Prinsendam". Offshore Energy. 7 August 2014.
^ "Prinsendam Transits the Kiel Canal". Holland America Line. 23 June 2009.
^ ^a ^b "Holland America Cruise Ship Leaving the Fleet in 2019". cruisefever.net. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
^ "Extensive refurbishment - MS Prinsendam becomes MS Amera". Rheinhold & Mahla. 23 August 2019.
^ Smith, Alex (18 October 2019). "Columbus Cruise Center Bremerhaven breaks cruise passenger record". Cruise and Ferry.
^ "MS Amera Christening in Bremerhaven". BSM Cruise Services. 19 August 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Phoenix Reisen christen Amera in Bremerhaven". Cruise Cotterill. 19 August 2019.

External links

Royal Viking Sun Video Clips
"Royal Viking Sun". Chris' Cunard Page. 9 February 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2019.

[FoF-1] (in Swedish) Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Royal Viking Sun (1989), retrieved 7 December 2007.

[2] "New Royal Viking Sun Sails to California". Los Angeles Times. January 1989.

[3] Hemphill, Mary Ann. "The Godmothers Who Bless Great Ships". Buffalo News. Retrieved 26 June 2022.

[4] "Cunard Line Cruise Ship Postcards".

[5] "Royal Viking Sun on Unofficial Cunard Archives". Chriscunard.com. 11 July 2019.

[6] Lucina Ball Moxley (1996). Travel Impressions: The Discovery of Golden Civilizations. Indianapolis: Guild Press of Indiana, Inc. p. 73. ISBN 1-878208-93-4.

[:0-7] Kalosh, Anne (2 July 2018). "Holland America's Prinsendam has been sold to Phoenix Reisen". Seatrade Cruise News.

[8] "Archives: Royal Viking Sun". Cruise Industry News. 16 July 2011.

[9] "Seabourn Sun To HAL". Findarticles.com. 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2009.

[10] Liu, Paul C. (2007). "A Chronology of Freaque Wave Encounters" (PDF). Geofizika. 24 (1): 57–70. Retrieved 8 October 2012.

[11] "Prinsendam Engages in Successful Rescue Operation | Holland America Blog". Archived from the original on 31 March 2016.

[12] "Busy Year Ahead for Holland America Line's MS Prinsendam". Offshore Energy. 7 August 2014.

[13] "Prinsendam Transits the Kiel Canal". Holland America Line. 23 June 2009.

[:1-14] "Holland America Cruise Ship Leaving the Fleet in 2019". cruisefever.net. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.

[15] "Extensive refurbishment - MS Prinsendam becomes MS Amera". Rheinhold & Mahla. 23 August 2019.

[16] Smith, Alex (18 October 2019). "Columbus Cruise Center Bremerhaven breaks cruise passenger record". Cruise and Ferry.

[17] "MS Amera Christening in Bremerhaven". BSM Cruise Services. 19 August 2019.

[:2-18] "Phoenix Reisen christen Amera in Bremerhaven". Cruise Cotterill. 19 August 2019.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

v t e Ships of the Royal Viking Line fleet
Former fleet	Royal Viking Star (1971) Royal Viking Sky (1973) Royal Viking Sea (1973) Royal Viking Sun (1988) Royal Viking Queen (1992)
Years indicate year of entry into service with the Royal Viking Line.

v t e Ships of the Cunard Line
Current fleet	2004 RMS Queen Mary 2 2007 MS Queen Victoria 2010 MS Queen Elizabeth 2024 MS Queen Anne
Former ships 1840–1994	1840 RMS Unicorn 1840 RMS Britannia 1848 SS Satellite 1853 SS Arabia 1856 RMS Persia 1862 RMS Scotia 1863 RMS Hecla 1865 SS Java 1867 SS Russia 1870 SS Abyssinia 1870 SS Parthia 1874 SS Bothnia 1878 SS Aleppo 1879 SS Gallia 1881 SS Servia 1881 SS Catalonia 1882 RMS Aurania 1884 SS Oregon 1884 RMS Umbria 1885 RMS Etruria 1892 RMS Campania 1893 RMS Lucania 1898 SS Ultonia 1899 SS Ivernia 1899 RMS Saxonia 1903 RMS Carpathia 1903 RMS Pannonia 1904 RMS Slavonia 1905 RMS Carmania 1905 RMS Caronia 1907 RMS Lusitania 1907 RMS Mauretania 1909 SS Thracia 1910 RMS Franconia 1911 RMS Albania 1912 RMS Laconia 1913 RMS Andania 1913 RMS Alaunia 1914 RMS Aquitania 1914 SS Orduña 1916 SS Royal George 1917 RMS Aurania 1920 SS Albania 1921 RMS Berengaria 1921 RMS Scythia 1922 RMS Samaria 1922 RMS Laconia 1922 RMS Andania 1922 RMS Antonia 1922 RMS Lancastria 1921 RMS Ausonia 1922 RMS Franconia 1924 RMS Aurania 1925 SS Letitia 1925 RMS Ascania 1925 RMS Alaunia 1925 RMS Carinthia 1934 RMS Majestic 1934 RMS Olympic 1934 MV Georgic 1934 MV Britannic 1934 SS Laurentic 1936 RMS Queen Mary 1939 RMS Mauretania 1940 RMS Queen Elizabeth 1945 SS Valacia (Empire Camp) 1947 RMS Media 1947 RMS Parthia 1949 RMS Caronia 1954 RMS Saxonia 1955 RMS Ivernia 1956 RMS Carinthia 1957 RMS Sylvania 1969 MS Queen Elizabeth 2 1970 SS Atlantic Causeway 1970 SS Atlantic Conveyor 1971 MV Cunard Adventurer 1972 MV Cunard Ambassador 1975 MS Cunard Countess 1976 MS Cunard Princess 1983 MS Sagafjord 1983 MS Caronia 1986 MS Sea Goddess I 1986 MS Sea Goddess II 1993 MS Cunard Crown Jewel 1993 MS Cunard Crown Dynasty 1994 MS Royal Viking Sun
For MoWT	1940 SS Pasteur 1941 SS Empire Barracuda 1940 MV Empire Audacity 1943 SS Empire Battleaxe 1943 SS Empire Broadsword 1945 MV Empire Ettrick
Years indicate year of entry into Cunard service.

v t e Ships of the Seabourn Cruise Line fleet
Current fleet	Seabourn Odyssey (2009) Seabourn Sojourn (2010) Seabourn Quest (2011) Seabourn Encore (2016) Seabourn Ovation (2018) Seabourn Venture (2022) Seabourn Pursuit (2023)
Former ships	Seabourn Pride (1988) Seabourn Spirit (1989) Seabourn Legend (1996) Seabourn Goddess I (1999) Seabourn Goddess II (1999) Seabourn Sun (1999)
Years indicate year of entry into Seabourn service.