MV Sun Viking, was one of the three original cruise ships ordered by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as part of their early fleet. The ship was first put into service in 1972. She was scrapped at Gadani Ship Breaking Yard, Pakistan in February 2022.
 Sun Viking at Honningsvåg, Norway in 1993.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner | Capital Dragon Global Holding[1] |
| Operator | Island Ship Management, Ltd.[1] |
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Oy Wärtsilä Ab Helsinki Shipyard, Finland |
| Yard number | 394 |
| Laid down | 18 May 1971[2] |
| Launched | 27 November 1971 |
| Completed | 10 November 1972[2] |
| Maiden voyage | 1972 |
| In service | 1972 |
| Out of service | 2021 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scrapped at Gadani, Pakistan in 2022 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 171.69 m (563 ft 3 in)[3] |
| Beam | 24 m (78 ft 9 in)[3] |
| Speed | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)[3] |
| Capacity | 882 (lower berths)[4] |
| Crew | 350[5] |
Along with her sister ships, Song of Norway and Nordic Prince, the class comprised the first purpose-built ships intended for Caribbean-based cruise travel. Sun Viking cruised the Mexican Riviera on a 7-day itinerary out of Los Angeles and the Caribbean out of San Juan, Puerto Rico in the early 1990s. The ship was retired in the late 1990s by Royal Caribbean, but continued in service with other cruise lines.[6]
In 1998 Sun Viking was sold to Star Cruises and renamed SuperStar Sagittarius. She was later renamed Hyundai Pongnae in 2003, sailing for Hyundai Merchant Marine, before becoming Omar III with Asia Cruises.[3]
The ship was renamed Long Jie in 2007.[5] She was put up for sale on 10 June 2010.[citation needed] After being dry docked in Singapore, Long Jie was transformed into Oriental Dragon, leaving Singapore on 24 March 2011 bound for Guangzhou, China.
After several years of service as a gambling ship in Hong Kong, she moved to Penang, Malaysia in late 2019 to continue her career. In 2021, the ship was finally retired and was scrapped at Gadani Ship Breaking Yard, Pakistan in February 2022 as Dragon.
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Media
editIn 1985, Sun Viking appeared in the opening sequences of episode 6 of The Day the Universe Changed and
In 2018, Oriental Dragon featured in the movie L Storm.
External links
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c "Oriental Dragon (7125861)". Equasis. Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ^ a b "Oriental Dragon". Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d "LONG JIE". Retrieved 2012-04-28.
- ^ Asklander, Micke. "M/V VIKING SUN". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ a b "Long Jie". Archived from the original on 2008-12-01.
- ^ Beneath Crown and Anchor, a History of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines First 25 Years. [Maxtone Ghram]
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