The cruise ship Astoria, one of the oldest passenger ships in the world, will soon be scrapped and recycled in the port of Ghent. The ship became world famous after a fatal collision in 1956.
The Astoria is 160m long and could accommodate almost 600 passengers. It was sold at auction on Tuesday, with Flemish recycling company Galloo the only bidder.
The ship has been moored in the port of Rotterdam since 2022. As the owner had not paid its mooring and port fees for two years, the court seized the vessel, shipping website Flows reports.
EU legislation requires it to be dismantled at an approved recycling yard. It is due to be transferred to the port of Ghent in July and should yield more than 12,000 tonnes of material, 97% of which will be reused.
Deadly collision
The ship, built in 1948 in Sweden and originally called the Stockholm, is notorious for its collision with the Italian ship Andrea Doria in 1956, in which 46 people died, close to the island of Nantucket in the US. Since the 1990s, the ship has also weathered a hurricane and attacks by pirate ships.
The Doria sank, but the Stockholm survived and remained in service under various names: Völkerfreundschaft, Athena, Azores and, since 2016, Astoria.
Circular model
Until 2020, the ship sailed for cruise companies, but after the bankruptcy of British owner Cruise & Maritime Voyages during the coronavirus pandemic, it was taken out of service.
It was sold at auction in Rotterdam this week for €200,000, a fraction of its historical value. On board were several restaurants, a show lounge, library, chart room and a boutique.
The demolition fits in with Galloo’s circular model, which dismantles ships and recovers materials, including metals, wood, glass and plastics.
The company will also dismantle the burnt-out container ship Solong, which was recently involved in a collision off the English coast.
