SEA DIAMOND

Owner: Louis Cruises - Cyprus - Former Birka Princess of Birka Line - Finland. First newbuilding for Birka Line. Acquired by Louis Cruises in Februari-2006 and renamed in Sea Diamond.

Entered service: 1986 - Refits: 1999 and 2006 - Orginal built at: Valmet Oy - Helsinki - Refit in 1999 at: Lloyd Werft - Germany and 2006 at Aker Finnyards.    Gross Tonnage: 22.712 - Passengers based on 2: 1160. Length: 143 m. Beam: 24,70 m.

Images  taken in Stockholm june 2004 of Birka Princess

Delivered to her new owners on March 17-2006, she has since had an extra deck complete with an outdoor pool added, at Aker Finnyards. Originally built to operate in the Baltic, she had an indoor pool only.

April 5-2007

Sea Diamond sank off Santorini Friday morning april 6, after the vessel struck coral reef and nearly 1,600 people on board had to be rescued. Many of the 1,200 passengers on board are from Germany and the United States. There are also up to 400 crew.  The Sea Diamond sank shortly before 7 a.m. local time, 15 hours after the accident occurred and the ship began listing and taking on water. Authorities said two French passengers — a 45 year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter — had still not been accounted for, and lists of rescued passengers were being rechecked.

Louis Hellenic Cruises announces that it has been informed by a French tour leader that so far two members of his group from the Sea Diamond have not yet been in contact with him. Every effort is being made to locate them. Louis Hellenic Cruises has also reported that unfortunately at the early hours of this morning, local time the vessel sank in Santorini. Passengers from Sea Diamond have arrived in Piraeus on the Aegean II and Perla is expected to also arrive there with more passengers at around noon local time.

Please watch a video of  SVT Broadcasting :
http://svt.se/svt/road/Classic/shared/mediacenter/index.jsp?&d=67830&a=800980&lid=puff_801116&lpos=extra_1
http://svt.se/svt/road/Classic/shared/mediacenter/index.jsp?&d=67830&a=801152&lid=puff_801116&lpos=extra_0

Page of the "World Wide Fleetlist of Cruise ships" Please Visit  Nedcruise - Dutch Cruise Site

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