MS Asuka II (飛鳥II) is a cruise ship owned and operated by Nippon Yusen Kaisha. She was originally built by the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in Nagasaki, Japan, as Crystal Harmony for Crystal Cruises. In 2006, Crystal Harmony was transferred from the fleet of Crystal Cruises to that of Crystal's parent company, Nippon Yusen Kaisha, and entered service under her current name.[1] As of August 2022[update], she was the largest cruise ship in Japan.
 Asuka II in 2009.
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| History | |||||
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 Japan | |||||
| Name |
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| Owner |
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| Operator |
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| Port of registry | |||||
| Builder | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagasaki, Japan[1] | ||||
| Yard number | 2100[1] | ||||
| Launched | 30 September 1989[1] | ||||
| Acquired | July 1990[1] | ||||
| Identification | |||||
| Status | In service | ||||
| General characteristics | |||||
| Type | Cruise ship | ||||
| Tonnage | |||||
| Length | 241 m (790 ft 8 in)[2] | ||||
| Beam | 29.6 m (97 ft 1 in)[2] | ||||
| Draught | 7.8 m (25 ft 7 in)[2] | ||||
| Decks | 8[3] | ||||
| Installed power | |||||
| Speed | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)[2] | ||||
| Capacity | 960 passengers[4] | ||||
| Crew | 545[4] | ||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 飛鳥II | ||||
| Hiragana | あすかツー | ||||
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Service history
edit1990–2006: Crystal Harmony
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During Crystal Harmony's maiden voyage in the South American and Caribbean waters, the ship caught on fire due to a fuel leak in an auxiliary engine room some 200 miles (320 km) from Cristóbal. Crystal Harmony drifted without power for sixteen hours but after repairs made it to port under her own steam and disembarked her passengers in Panama. She sailed to the island of Curaçao, escorted by a tugboat, for repairs.[5]
2006 onwards: Asuka II
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After fifteen years of service, Crystal Harmony was retired from the Crystal fleet in 2005. She was transferred to the parent company Nippon Yusen Kaisha to replace the Asuka. She then underwent renovation and re-entered service as Asuka II.[citation needed]
She caught fire again on June 16, 2020, while at dock in Yokohama.[6]
The last voyage will end on 29 March 2025 in Yokohama, to be followed be a world cruise from Yokohama (31.03.2025) to Kobe (7.12.2015).[7][8]
2021 COVID-19 case
editOn 30 April 2021, the ship was en route from the Port of Yokohama and was scheduled to stop at Aomori and Hokkaido prefectures when one case of COVID-19 was detected on board. The passenger was reportedly stable and in isolation in a cabin. The ship returned to Yokohama where the rest of passengers and crew were disembarked.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i Asklander, Micke. "M/S Crystal Harmony (1990)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2008-12-31. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ a b c d e "Asuka II – Ship Outline" (in Japanese). NYK Cruises Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on 2010-02-15. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
- ^ "Asuka II". 20th Century Ships. Archived from the original on 2010-01-12. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ a b c Larsen, Robert. "M/S Asuka II". Skip-siden (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ "Crystal Harmony in Wetdock". Cruise Industry News. 16 October 1990. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ "大型客船「飛鳥IIか 「ら黒煙 横浜に停泊中" [Black smoke from the large cruise ship "Asuka II" anchored in Yokohama]. Asahi (in Japanese). 16 June 2020.
- ^ https://plan.asukacruise.co.jp/english/
- ^ https://asuka-web.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/07110812/ASUKAII_Schedule_101524-033125.pdf
- ^ "One positive COVID-19 test on Japan luxury cruise ship; passengers disembarking". Reuters. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
External links
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