Classic International Cruises

Classic International Cruises was a British-Australian owned shipping company operating five luxury cruise ships, most notably their flagship, the rebuilt ocean liner MS Athena.[2] The company only operated cruise ships that are former ocean liners, the classic ships of their day (hence the company's name).

Classic International Cruises
TypeCruising
IndustryCruise line
Founded1985
Defunct20 December 2012 (2012-12-20)
Headquarters
Neutral Bay, Australia
Area served
Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa[1]
ServicesCruises
OwnerWorld Cruises Agency
Websitehttps://web.archive.org/web/20100221212405/http://uk.cic-cruises.com/

History
Their first ship, MV Funchal

Classic International Cruises was seemingly founded in 1985, with the purchase of the MV Funchal as the Arcalia Shipping Company Ltd, which eventually became Classic International. They operated the one ship until 1994, when they bought the Princess Danae. The Princess Danae entered service with an all-white hull and a sailing ship logo on her funnel. Funchal was given a yellow and blue striped funnel and a white hull, but by 2000 her livery was changed to what now all Classic International ships have.[3] Since 2000 they have purchased 3 ships, Arion, Athena and Princess Daphne, the near-identical sister of Princess Danae.[4] With their main headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal, the company also has several branches based in Paris, France, Piraeus, Greece, Neutral Bay, Australia, Stockholm, Sweden, and London, England.[5]

Due to unpaid bills by the line, the company's four ships, Princess Danae, Princess Daphne, Athena & Arion have all been arrested, the only ship not arrested is the Funchal which is laid up pending refurbishment for SOLAS.[6][7]

On 20 December 2012, it was resolved to place the company into liquidation.[8]

In the beginning of 2013, the recently created cruise company Portuscale Cruises, led by the Portuguese entrepreneur Rui Alegre, bought Princess Danae, Athena, Arion and Funchal, assuming as well the liabilities of Classic International Cruises.[9]

Ships
ShipBuiltIn serviceTonnageStatus as of 2023Image
Funchal19611985-20139,563 GRTFormerly a Portuguese passenger liner and presidential yacht. Transferred to Portuscale Cruises in 2013, keeping the same name, and currently is in lay up.
MV Princess Danae19551994-201316,335 GRTRebuilt 1972, identical to Princess Daphne. Transferred to Portuscale Cruises in 2013 and renamed Lisboa, Scrapped in Aliağa, Turkey, in 2015.
MS Arion19651999-20135,888 GRTOriginally Yugoslavian passenger ship MS Istra. In 2013, transferred to Portuscale Cruises and renamed Porto. Scrapped in 2018.
MS Athena19482005-201310,603 GRTOriginally Swedish ocean liner MS Stockholm, rebuilt 1994, under charter to Phoenix Reisen in 2009. In 2015, transferred to Cruise & Maritime Voyages and renamed Astoria. Currently laid up in Rotterdam.
MV Princess Daphne19552008-201315,833 GRTRebuilt 1972, renamed Princess Daphne 2009. Scrapped in Alang, India, in 2014.

References
  1. Aus-Cruises Archived 23 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Classic International
  3. Portugal Funcha;
  4. Ships Archived 2 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Contact Archived 5 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Net closing in on CIC as fourth vessel arrested". Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  7. "CIC Ships Arrested". 18 September 2012.
  8. "Classic International Cruises Pty Ltd". Press Release. Lawler Partners. 20 December 2012. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  9. "New Names for Princess Danae, Arion and Athena". Maritime Matters. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
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