Eastern Venus, formerly Pacific Venus, is a cruise ship completed in 1998 by Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries and originally owned by Japanese company Venus Cruise Line, a subsidiary of the Shin Nihonkai Ferry company. In 2023, the ship was sold to Panamanian company Eastern Venus Inc. following its owner's shutdown and subsequently renamed to Eastern Venus, with the International Register of Shipping listing the official manager and operator as DuWon Shipping, a South Korea-based company affiliated with Eastern Venus Inc.
 The now Eastern Venus in Kobe, 2016
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Panama | |
| Name | Eastern Venus |
| Owner | Eastern Venus Inc. |
| Operator | DuWon Shipping |
| Port of registry | Colon,  Panama |
| Builder | Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. |
| Cost | $114 million |
| Laid down | 16 July 1997 |
| Launched | 29 September 1997 |
| Completed | 27 March 1998 |
| Maiden voyage | 1998 |
| In service | 1998–present |
| Identification | |
| Status | in service |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cruise ship |
| Tonnage | 26,594 GT |
| Length | 183.4 m (601 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 25 m (82 ft 0 in) |
| Draft | 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in) |
| Depth | 9 m (29 ft 6 in) |
| Decks | Twelve passenger decks |
| Speed | 20.8 knots (38.5 km/h; 23.9 mph) |
| Capacity | 720 passengers (2024)[1] |
| Crew | 204 (2022)[2] |
Description
editEastern Venus has a total length of 183.4 meters (601 ft 8 in) meters and a width of 25 meters (82 ft 0 in), stationarily weighing 4,202 tons and having a gross tonnage of 26,594 tons.[3][2][4] The vessel is mainly light-colored and contains four royal suites with their respective names, two of them being the "Archaic" and "Modern" suites, following Japanese traditional architecture, with the other two, the "Noble" and "Elegant" being more modern-looking in style.[5]
In addition to the royal suites, there are sixteen regular suites. Royal suites have several more features than the regular ones, such as larger bathroom space and a bedroom separate from the main living room. "Primavera", the name for the ship's dining room, has over 300 seats and serves both Japanese and Western food.[5] In the middle of the ship is an atrium that spans three of the eight decks (the decks are numbered four through twelve).[6]
Eastern Venus contains around 250 passenger cabins and two "deluxe" wheelchair cabins, 20 deluxe rooms, 210 state rooms, and 16 standard rooms;[7][8] it contains twelve decks (nine passenger decks)[8] and has a 6.5-meter (21 ft 4 in) draft.[2] In 2024, the ship could hold 720 passengers, up from 696 the previous year;[1][9] in 2022, the ship had the capacity for 204 crew members.[2] The ship can go over 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph), and has a depth of hold of nine metres (29 ft 6 in).[7]
History
editEastern Venus was built under the name Pacific Venus in 1998 by IHI Corporation, then known as Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries.[10][6][11] The original cost of the ship was US$114 million.[6] The ship was laid down on 16 July 1997; it was launched on 29 September 1997 and completed on 27 March 1999 [7] Its first voyage saw the ship on a 40-day trip across East Asia sometime in 1998. It was originally owned by Japan Cruise Line, under the branding name Venus Cruise Line; this cruise line was a subsidiary of the company of Shin Nihonkai Ferry.[2] Since then, the ship sailed around Japan and went as far as Europe. On the vessel's 15-year anniversary (in January 2013), it followed the same route as it did on its first journey, this time taking 42 days.[5]
Change in ownership
editVenus Cruise Line, in early November 2022, announced it would be shutting down and closing its operations and business, and the last voyage under the company (and name Pacific Venus) would be from Kobe, Japan to Shidao, China and back within the period of 27 December 2022 to 4 January 2023. Venus Cruise Line had approximately 80 voyages with about 25,000 domestic tourists yearly before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.[5][9]
The new company that the ship was sold to is the Panama-based single-ship Eastern Venus Incorporation. Later, the company was renamed to Eastern Cruise. The company is affiliated with DuWon Shipping, the ship's operator and manager based in South Korea, where homeports were set up along with some in Taiwan. Un Song Kim, Public Relations and Marketing General Manager of Eastern Cruise, predicted an estimated 5.17% growth in South Korea's cruise market every year from 2024 to 2028.[1][12] With the change in ownership, the port of registry also changed, going from Osaka, Japan to Colon, Panama.[5][2]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Eastern Cruise to Launch New Operation with Former Pacific Venus". Cruise Industry News. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Pacific Venus cruise ship". PhotoGuide. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Eastern Venus, Passenger (Cruise) Ship - Details and current position - IMO 9160011". VesselFinder. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "BalticShipping.com". www.balticshipping.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Eastern Venus Itinerary, Current Position, Ship Review". CruiseMapper. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ a b c "Pacific Venus". Cruise Wonderland. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ a b c "scheepvaartwest - Pacific Venus - IMO 9160011". Scheepvaartwest. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Pacific Venus". Castles of the Seas. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Former Pacific Venus Sets Sail to China". Cruise Industry News. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Pacific Venus - IMO 9160011". Ship Spotting. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Japan's Venus Cruise Will Shut Down Following Farewell Voyage". Cruise Industry News. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ Boonzaier, Jonathan (11 December 2023). "Japan's Shin Nihonkai out of cruise as Pacific Venus moves on to South Korean owner". TradeWinds. Retrieved 2 November 2024.