Another former Carnival cruise ship is beached

The new year has not started well for the former Carnival cruise ship Ocean Dream, formerly known as Tropical. After a long life sailing the world’s oceans for several cruise lines since 1982, she ran aground at shipbreaking houses in Alang, India on January 1, 2021.

the Ocean Dream is the latest in an ever-growing list of ships stranded in India and Turkey over the past year. Businesses are hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and are forced to phase out costly and financially inefficient ships.

In the past 12 months, Carnival Cruise Line has discontinued Carnival imagination, carnival inspiration, and Carnival Fantasy, sold Carnival fascination, while another former Carnival cruise ship is also heading to wreckers in India, Great celebration.

You can watch the cruise ship stranded in Alang, India below:

Carnival’s first new ship

By the time it was built, Tropical was a first in many ways. While Carnival sailed with Mardi Gras, Carnivale, and TSS Day, the line needed to increase its presence. Building a new vessel was the only option to remain competitive in the face of stiff competition in the Caribbean; Tropical was ordered and delivered in 1982.

Built in Aalborg Værft, Denmark, in 1981, Tropical Carnival could hold 1,022 passengers. As built, she weighed 36,674 gross tons and measured 204.76 meters from bow to stern.

She was the first ship to feature the iconic winged funnel, designed by Joe Farcus, which would greatly influence the design and construction of cruise ships in the future. Due to the success of Tropical, Carnival cruise line ordered Holiday carnival in 1985, Carnival jubilee in 1986, and Carnival celebration in 1987.

Tropical Carnival sailed for the Carnival cruise line from 1982 to 2000. As the Carnival cruise line grew and took on larger ships. Tropical mainly for test trips to places like Alaska, New Orleans, Tampaand Puerto Rico. She became a pioneer in what would become incredibly popular cruise destinations.

A life to travel the high seas

Tropical was transferred to sailing for Costa Cruises in 2000 and was renamed Tropical coast. During her 40 year career as a cruise ship, she testified to the build quality of the time. Tropical sailed for five different operators and has also been renamed several times.

After sailing with Costa Cruises until 2005, she moved to P&O Cruises Australia under the name Pacific star, where she sailed until 2008. In 2008 she left Carnival Corporation and sailed for Pullmantur and renamed again as Ocean Dream.

The ship’s last assignment was for the Peace Boat organization. Peace Boat is a Japanese NGO that raises international awareness about human rights, sustainability, environmental protection and other global causes. Peace Boat had operated Tropical, or what was his name now Ocean Dream, since 2008.

In 2020, the organization purchased the former ship from the Princess cruise line, Sun princess, marking the end of the line for Tropical. The end of the line unfortunately ended on a beach in India, among other iconic ships rendered obsolete by the pandemic.

Photo credit featured: xenalll (Flickr, Creative Commons)