Blue Dream Melody

History
Name
  • 2002–2023: AIDAvita
  • 2023–2024: Avitak
  • 2024: Blue Dream Melody
Owner
  • 2002–2022: Costa Crociere
  • 2023–2024: Beta Marine Ltd.
  • 2024: Blue Dream Cruises
Operator
Port of registry
BuilderAker MTW, Wismar,  Germany[2]
Cost$350 million[2]
Yard number3[1]
Laid down21 November 2000[1]
Launched15 November 2001[1]
Completed30 April 2002[1]
In service2002–present[2]
Out of service2020
Identification
StatusIn Service
General characteristics
TypeCruise ship
Tonnage
Length202.85 m (665 ft 6 in)[1]
Beam35.5 m (116 ft 6 in)[1]
Draught6.3 m (20 ft 8 in)[1]
Decks10[2]
Installed power18,800 kW (25,200 hp)[1]
Propulsion2 × diesel-electric motors[2]
Speed21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)[1]
Capacity1,266 passengers
Crew426

AIDAvita[3] is a cruise ship, built by Aker MTW at Wismar, Germany in 2002 and was operated by AIDA Cruises until the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022 she was sold to Turkish buyers and renamed Avitak, remaining laid up, and resold in 2024 for operation by Chinese line, Blue Dream International Cruise.

History

AIDAvita was the second ship in AIDA Cruises' fleet, and identical to AIDAaura. She was built in 2002 by the German shipyard Aker MTW in Wismar.[1]

Out of service during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was laid up at Tallinn, Estonia in November 2021.[4] In June 2022, AIDA Cruises announced that the ship would not return to service for AIDA Cruises and had been sold to an undisclosed buyer.[5] Later, she was renamed Avitak but remained laid up in Tallinn, Estonia.[4] and listed as owned by Beta Marine Ltd. of Majuro, Marshall Islands, and managed by Istanbul-based Sealife Denizcilik Ltd. Sti.[6]

In January 2024, the ship was sold to China Development Bank, Hong Kong for lease to Chinese operator Blue Dream International Cruise of Shanghai. The ship is to be renamed Blue Dream Melody and is expected to enter service after refurbishment in China.[7] The ship arrived in March 2024 in China.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "AIDAvita (G94690)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e Ward, Douglas (2005). Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Singapore: Berlitz. ISBN 978-9812467393.
  3. ^ "DNV Vessel Register". vesselregister.dnv.com. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b "One Year Later, Former AIDAvita Remains Docked in Estonia". Cruise Industry News. New York. 15 June 2023. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Another Carnival Corp. Ship Sold; AIDAvita to Leave Fleet". Cruise Industry News. New York. 14 June 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Avitak". Vessel Register. Det Norske Veritas. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  7. ^ Boonzaler, Jonathan (16 January 2024). "CDB Financial Leasing buys former Carnival Corp ship on behalf of Chinese cruise operator". Tradewinds. London. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Former AIDAvita Arrives in China for Blue Dream Conversion - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 19 March 2024.

Media related to IMO 9221554 at Wikimedia Commons


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