- MS Enchanted Capri
MS "Enchanted Capri" is a Belorussiya class
cruise ship owned byDemar ,Mexico and operated as a housing vessel for oil rigs in theGulf of Mexico . She was built in 1975 atWärtsilä inTurku ,Finland as the 15,409-groos register ton MS "Azerbaihzan" for theSoviet Union -basedBlack Sea Shipping Company . She has also sailed under the names MS "Arkadia" and MS "Island Holiday".History
The "Azerbaihzan" was built in 1975 as the third ship of the five
Belorussiya class cruiseferries ordered by theSoviet Union from theWärtsilä shipyard inTurku ,Finland . She underwent refurbishments in1984 inBremerhaven, Germany and in1997 inFreeport, Grand Bahama . In 1996, the vessel was acquired by Blasco, UK and renamed "Arkadia".The ship was chartered by
SeaScape , Florida and renamed "Island Holiday".On June 4, 1998,
Commodore Cruise Line chartered the vessel, renamed her "Enchanted Capri"and started 2 and 5 day cruises fromNew Orleans, LA with this newly refurbished 550 passenger ship whose main emphasis was on gaming. With 248 cabins, including eight suites, and eight passenger decks, the "Enchanted Capri" offered full cruise amenities such as swimming pools, restaurants, gift shops, bars, lounges, theater, disco, gym, sauna, beauty salon, and complete hospital facilities. Commodore Holdings Limited, the parent company to Commodore Cruise Line, and Casino America, Inc. announced that they had executed a definitive agreement under which Casino America would manage the casino operations aboard this ship. The onboard casino, with slots and a variety of table games, was under theIsle of Capri Casinos banner.The "Enchanted Capri", was 512 feet long and 72 feet wide, had a draft of 21 feet and cruising speed of more than 20 knots.
Following Commodore's bankruptcy on January 11, 2001, the "Capri" made news when she was arrested in New Orleans by the
International Transport Workers' Federation on behalf of the crew, who were owed $500,000 in back wages. More than 230 crew stranded on the passenger vessel were sent home to forty different countries in the biggest repatriation operation staged by the ITWF.The "Enchanted Capri" was laid up, her Ukrainian owners chartered her to Mexican interests in 2003and refurbished the vessel in 2005 to bring her up to the latest SOLAS standards.
Today,when she is managed by
International Shipping Partners (ISP) and operates as a hotel platform for oil rigs in the Mexican Gulf.External links
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990203034237/http://www.commodorecruise.com/| Enchanted Capri 1998 Fact Sheet]
* [http://www.isp-usa.com/fleet/enchantedcapri/enchantedcapri.html| ISP Current Enchanted Capri info]
* [http://www.isp-usa.com/fleet/pdf/enchantedcapri_ga.pdf| Enchanted Capri's General Arangement]
* [http://www.demar.com.mx | Demar Instaladora y Constructora MEXICO ]
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