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5 February 2024

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One of the former Soviet Passenger/Car Ferry built in Finland was the Belorussija Class – GRUZIYA. She was built by Oy Wartsila AB, Turku Shipyard, Finland, today Meyer Turku in 1975 as one of the five sisters in the class. She was launched on 18th October 1974 and delivered on 30th June 1975 and was named after the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The prototype was BELORUSSIJA,  and the other vessels were also named after constituent states of the USSR: Azerbaydzhan, Kazakhstan, Gruziya and Kareliya. All the structurally identical ships were originally built as ferries. They could transport almost 900 passengers and around 250 vehicles. The Russian sister ships were then converted into cruise liners following the dissolution of the USSR.

Between 1975 and 1994, she was under the management of the Black Sea Shipping Company (BLASCO) of the Soviet Union, and then Ukraine. She got converted to a cruise vessel in 1992. In 1994, she got transferred to BLASCO UK and started sailing under the Liberian flag with a new name, ODESSA SKY. During August, 1995, she got arrested in Montreal, Canada because of BLASCO’s debts. In late August 1996, she returned to Odessa, to be arrested again in Wilhelmshaven in September, 1996, for a period of 18 months. In 1998, following her purchase by Eltek Europe B.V., she went through renovations at Lloyd-Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany, between September 1998 and April 1999. In May 1999, she was renamed as CLUB I after being auctioned and resumed cruising under the management of the Club Cruise of Rotterdam. She spent one season cruising in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. In December 1999, France based group, Nouvelles-Frontieres chartered her for 3 years, with a possible 2 year extension. As of December 2001, she was still operating under charter to Nouvelles-Frontieres under the new name, VAN GOGH.

The 2 year extension never took place since as of May 20th, 2002,  VAN GOGH was chartered by Travelscope.

Later she embarked on cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean for Salamis Cruise Lines in Cyprus as the SALAMIS FILOXENIA trading until March, 2022.

In 2018, Pampa Cruises planned to acquire her and rename her ARRECIFE. The Argentinian company was not able to finance the agreed 7,7 million US$, so the sale was canceled. COVID-19 stopped any further operation of her and she remained laid up in Perama (Greece). Salamis Lines was declared bankrupt.

In March 2022 she was acquired by Prime Spot Ship Trading from Dubai for 4.1 million US$ (or 450 US$ per ton) and sold one month later to Machtrans Ship Management Pvt Ltd. She was renamed as PHOENIX TITAN reflagged to Comoros with homeport as Moroni.

She was broken up a month later at Gadani Beach, Pakistan as TITAN while reflagged to Palau Republic.

 

 

 

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