Astor

Astor

Astor

Capacity 590 pers

Crew 260 pers

Taille 176.50 m

Tonnage 20

Category Premium



MS Astor is a cruise ship owned by the Germany-based Premicon, under charter to the Germany-based Transocean Tours.[2][5] She was built in 1987 under the name Astor by HDW Kiel in West Germany for the Mauritius-based Marlan Corporation, although originally ordered by the South African Safmarine as a combined ocean liner/cruise ship for the Southampton-Cape Town service.[3][6] In 1988 the ship was sold to the Soviet Union-based Black Sea Shipping Company and renamed MS Feodor Dostoevskiy[7] (variably also spelled Fedor Dostoevskiy[1][3] and Fedor Dostoyevskiy,[4] Russian: Фёдор Достое́вский), but spent her time under charter to various West German cruise lines. In 1995 she reverted to the name Astor. Since 1996 she has been under charter to Transocean Tours.[1]

On 28 November 2008, an attempted pirate attack on the Astor in the Gulf of Oman was prevented by the German frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.[8]



Design

[edit] Exterior design

Externally the 1987 Astor was designed to be identical to the 1981 Astor, but approximately 12 metres (39 ft) longer. Due to the similar design the ships were distinguishable only due to the additional windows below the first lifeboat on the 1987 Astor.[3] Both Astors were designed with a sharply raked bow, a relatively low, terraced superstructure and a large, square funnel.[4]

In Marlan Corporation service the Astor was initially painted with a white hull and superstructure, a red decorative stripe deparating the hull and superstructure, and red/blue funnel with a large white cross painted on it alongside the letters ML.[3][7] This was later altered so that the decorative stripe was extended to cover the entire lowest supersruture deck, while the funnel was painted white with red stripes.[1] As Feodor Dostoevskiy the decorative stripe on the hull reverted to the same form as in the original livery, while the funnel was painted white with blue exhaust pipes and a wide red stripe with the hammer and sickle emblem on it.[3]

In Transocean Tours service the ship received a livery with a narrower light/dark blue decorative stripe on the hull, a white funnel with blue exhaust pipes, a thin light/dark blue stripe with Transocean Tours' large T logo in the middle.[3]

[edit] Interior design

As with the exterior, the interior layout and decorations of the 1987 Astor were very similar to the 1981 Astor, down to the bathroom fittings.[4] However, the 1987 ship was designed with a larger number of suites, improved crew quarters, an added casino and added conference facilities.[6]

Like the 1981 ship, the 1987 Astor was furnished in traditional style using large amounts of dark wood, with many of the public rooms having high ceilings. The author Douglas Ward described the ship as having "a certain degree of style, comfort and elegance".[4]



Career
Name: 1987–1988: Astor
1988–1995: Fedor Dostoevskiy
1995 onwards: Astor
Namesake: Fyodor Dostoevsky (2nd name)
Owner: 1987–1988: Marlan Corporation
1988–1991: Black Sea Shipping Company
1991–1996: Fedor Dostoevskiy Shipping Co.
1996–????: Astor Shipping Co.[1]
???? onwards: Premicon[2]
Operator: 1987–1988: Marlan Corporation
1988–1990: Transocean Tours
1990–1995: Neckermann Seereisen
1995–1996: Aquamarin
1996 onwards: Transocean Tours[1][3]
Port of registry: 1987–1988: Port Louis,  Mauritius
1988–1991: Odessa,  Soviet Union
1991 onwards: Nassau  Bahamas[1]
Ordered: 1985[1]
Builder: HDW Kiel, West Germany[1]
Cost: $65 million[4]
Yard number: 218[1]
Launched: 30 May 1986[1]
Acquired: 14 January 1987[1]
Maiden voyage: 14 January 1987[1]
In service: 14 January 1987[1]
Identification: IMO number: 8506373[1]
Status: In service
General characteristics [1]
Type: cruise ship
Tonnage: 20,606 GRT
Length: 176.26 m (578 ft 3 in)
Beam: 22.21 m (72 ft 10 in)
Draught: 5.80 m (19 ft 0 in)
Decks: 7 (passenger accessible)[4]
Installed power: 4 × Sulzer-Wärtsilä diesels
combined 15,400 kW
Propulsion: Two propellers[4]
Speed: 18 knots (33.34 km/h; 20.71 mph)
Capacity: 650 passengers
3,780 metric tons deadweight (DWT)
Crew: 300[4]