12-425: MS Amera (formerly Royal Viking Sun , Seabourn Sun and Prinsendam ) is a cruise ship operated by Phoenix Reisen . She was launched in 1988 as Royal Viking Sun for Royal Viking Line , and began operating for Cunard Line under the same name in 1994. She was renamed Seabourn Sun when Seabourn Cruise Line acquired the ship in 1999. In 2002, Seabourn transferred the ship to Holland America Line , which
24-549: A fleet of cruise ships . The company first entered the cruise business in 1988 by chartering the Soviet Union -owned cruise ship SS Maxim Gorkiy . Phoenix Reisen first begun operating cruises under its own brand in 1988 when the company chartered the West German-built cruise ship SS Maxim Gorkiy from the Soviet Union -based Black Sea Shipping Company on a 20-year charter agreement. In 1993
36-640: A second ship joined the Phoenix Reisen fleet, when SS Albatros was chartered from V-Ships . Unlike the Maxim Gorkiy , which retained the colours of her owners in Phoenix service, the Albatros was painted in Phoenix Reisen's own colours with a turquoise funnel displaying the company logo. Due to numerous mechanical problems, Phoenix Reisen decided to prematurely terminate the charter of
48-522: The Albatros in December 2003. As a replacement Phoenix quickly chartered MS Crown in January 2004, which was renamed MS Albatros . In 2005 the company fleet expanded to include three ships for the first time when MS Alexander von Humboldt (2005) was chartered from V-Ships. A fourth ship followed in 2006 with the charter of MS Amadea , a higher-class vessel compared with
60-443: The high fuel consumption of the ship's steam turbines Phoenix Reisen decided not to renew the charter. In May 2009 Phoenix Reisen chartered MS Athena (2005) from Nina SpA . In April 2011, the company took delivery of MV Artania , which formerly sailed as MV Artemis for P&O Cruises . In July 2019 the fleet was increased with a former HAL ship. MS Albatros Too Many Requests If you report this error to
72-447: The rest of the Phoenix Reisen fleet. In 2008 the first Alexander von Humboldt was replaced by a larger vessel chartered from Club Cruise , confusingly also named MS Alexander von Humboldt (before entering service the ship was marketed as Alexander von Humboldt II , but she eventually received the same name as the ship she replaced). In late 2008 the charter of the Maxim Gorkiy ended, and due to high fuel prices combined with
84-572: The same name and initially retained the vessel's original livery. Later, Cunard repainted her funnel in their colours but retained the Royal Viking logo. In April 1996, the ship tore a hole in its hull after hitting a reef in the Red Sea about fifteen miles off the coast of Sharm El Sheikh while on its way to Aqaba . In 1999, Carnival Corporation merged Cunard and Seabourn and moved Royal Viking Sun to Seabourn. After an extensive refit, she
96-539: Was able to transit the Kiel Canal due to her low height above the waterline. In July 2018, Holland America announced that Prinsendam had been sold to Phoenix Reisen. However, she was chartered back to Holland America to continue operating her scheduled voyages until 1 July 2019. On 2 July 2019, Prinsendam began her six-week renovation at Blohm+Voss in Hamburg , and left on 12 August 2019 for Bremerhaven . She
108-501: Was en route to Portimao when she received a distress call from the Portuguese fishing boat Dario , which was sinking with eight people aboard. When the ship arrived, Dario ' s crew was entering a life raft. The Portuguese Coast Guard directed Prinsendam to pick up the fishermen and stand by for a helicopter to take the eight men to shore. During her career with Holland America, she had undertaken cruises to Antarctica , and
120-588: Was rechristened Amera in Bremerhaven on 16 August 2019 by Petra Kaiser, a veteran Phoenix Reisen employee, before sailing to Dover for her maiden voyage to Antwerp , Amsterdam , and the Norwegian fjords, where she cruised for her inaugural season. She operated Mediterranean cruises beginning in October 2019. Phoenix Reisen Phoenix Reisen is a Germany-based travel agency that also operates
132-525: Was renamed Seabourn Sun . Her last cruise for Seabourn was a circumnavigation of South America in 2002. In 2002, Seabourn Sun was transferred to sister brand Holland America Line, after Seabourn chose to focus on its fleet's smaller vessels. Renamed Prinsendam , she underwent a refit before beginning operations. On 1 February 2007, Prinsendam was hit by two 12-metre-tall (39 ft) rogue waves near Cape Horn ; 40 injuries were reported, with some requiring hospitalisation. On 22 March 2012, Prinsendam
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#1732780475601144-528: Was renamed as Prinsendam . In 2018, Prinsendam was sold to Phoenix Reisen, debuting in 2019. She was launched in 1988 as Royal Viking Sun for Royal Viking Line. Christened by godparents James Stewart and Gloria Stewart , and she was the largest ship in the fleet at the time she entered service. In 1994, Cunard Line purchased Royal Viking Sun and the Royal Viking brand when Royal Viking Line ceased operations. Cunard continued to operate her under
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