The new year did not start well for the former Carnival cruise ship Ocean Dream, formerly known as Tropicale. After sailing a long life since 1982 through several oceans through the world’s oceans, she was stranded on 1 January 2021 at the shipwreck in Alang, India.
The Ocean Dream is the latest in an ever-increasing list of ships stranded in India and Turkey in recent years. Companies are hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and are forced to eliminate expensive and financially inefficient vessels.
In the last 12 months, Carnival Cruise Line has been scrapped Carnival Imagination, Carnival Inspiration, en Carnival fantasy, sell Carnival Fascination, while another former Carnival Cruise ship is also on its way to the shipwrecks in India, Great celebration.
You can see the cruise ship in Alang, India, beach:
Carnival’s first new construction ship
At the time she was built, Tropical was a first in many different ways. While Carnival sails together Mardi Gras, carnival, en TSS Festivale, the line needed to increase its presence. Building a new ship was the only option to stay competitive with the fierce competition in the Caribbean; Tropical was ordered and delivered in 1982.
Built in the Aalborg Shipyard, Denmark, in 1981, Tropical Carnival could hold 1,022 passengers. As built, it weighs 36,674 gross tons and measures 204.76 meters from bow to stern.
She was the first vessel with the iconic winged funnel, designed by Joe Farcus, that would have a significant impact on how cruise ships would be designed and built in the future. Due to the success of Tropical, Order Carnival cruise line Carnival Holiday in 1985, Carnival Anniversary in 1986, and Carnival in 1987.
Tropical Carnival sailed to Carnival cruise line from 1982 to the year 2000. As Carnival cruise line got bigger and took on bigger vessels, use the line Tropical mainly for test trips in places like Alaska, New Orleans, Tampa, in Puerto Rico. She became a forerunner in what would eventually become incredibly popular cruise destinations.
A life wandering on the high seas
Tropical was transferred in 2000 to sail to Costa Cruises and was renamed Costa Tropicale. During her 40-year career as a cruise ship, she was a testament to the build quality of the time. Tropical sailed for five different operators and was also renamed several times.
After sailing with Costa Cruises until 2005, she was transferred to P&O Cruises Australia under the name Pacific Star, where she sailed until the year 2008. In 2008, she left Carnival Corporation and sailed for Pullmantur, renaming after Ocean Dream.
The vessel’s last assignment was for the Peace Boat organization. Peace Boat is a Japanese NGO that raises international awareness of human rights, sustainability, environmental protection and other global causes. Peace Boat was in operation Tropical, or how it is now named Ocean Dream, since 2008.
In 2020, the organization buys the former Princess cruise ship, Sonprinses, mark the end of the line for Tropical. The end of the line unfortunately ends on a beach in India, including iconic vessels obsolete by the pandemic.
Suggested Photo Credit: xenalll (Flickr, Creative general)
