It is reported that the 320 crew are sitting in on the ship at Ashdod as they have not been paid.

The ship was built in 1971, as the NCL Cruise ship Southward.

Be odd if the Southward also goes to scrap now. The sister ships would really be the first of the modern era cruise ships to go to scrap and going together would be irony.

Previously the ship was owned by a company within the Louis Group.

It is reported that Louis Group have been helping with some of the arrangements for the crew stuck on the Rio.

If the original buyer of the ship had been told that he could run the engines and get the ship to Alang where is that rubbish ?

It is possible that the costs of hiring a tug to tow the ship to Alang were not allowed for in the price paid for the ship.

There may also be insurance to be paid for to cover any loss of the ship while it is being towed.

ss Norway was a completely different case as it was known her engines were disabled by the explosion and she would require to be towed to Alang !
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[ 07-16-2011: Message edited by: Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company. ]

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Originally posted by Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company.:
Quote
If the original buyer of the ship had been told that he could run the engines and get the ship to Alang where is that rubbish ?

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I guess you have never bought a used car .... lol! Buyer beware. That's why you investigate and inspect before you hand over the money!

Just because someone told the buyer he could sail it away into the sunset does not mean he did not get bad information. I agree if he did not check the engines he could have paid more than the rusting hulk is worth based on the value of the scrap, the cost of getting it to the scrapyard, insurance costs, etc. but where the fault in that mistake ??

In the world we live in today that sounds like a lawsuit with the courts left to figure out if the buyer has a case against the seller and if the seller provided any warranties that were false or misleading and if the buyer failed to check out what he was buying.

But from the word on the seas the buyer has also been trying to resell the ship for something other than scrap. I know one potential who was looking into the ship for a new start up cruise line. Several of us told this potential to be careful that the word was the engines were shot. Since it is pretty common knowledge or at least speculation that the engines are shot that also hurts the buyer's case to argue misrepresentation.

[ 07-16-2011: Message edited by: SSTRAVELER ]

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Originally posted by Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company.:
The company owning the Rio is shown as Eagles Shipping Holding SA of Piraeus !

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I do not know what world you are living in but at present I have two recently purchased new cars, a classic 1969 built car and five vans for my business so rest assured I have plenty of experience in buying cars and vehicles.

If the information provided on the ship, when it was advertised for sale, mentioned that the engines were in working order than the buyer has every reason to take action against the seller.

I note you call her a ' Rusting Hulk ' .

The last notice I saw about her sale, published in October 2010, said that her cabins and cabin facilities were in good condition although carpets thoughout the ship needed replacing.

Some attention was required to her air conditioning, laundry and her galley !

That I would say is not the description for a rusting hulk !
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[ 07-19-2011: Message edited by: Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company. ]

quote:

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Originally posted by Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company.:
Some attention was required to her air conditioning, laundry and her galley !

That I would say is not the description for a rusting hulk !
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[ 07-19-2011: Message edited by: Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company. ]

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Neil,

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Originally posted by rd77:
I have read from several sources that the accomodations had suffered rather a lot from the humid climate in Singapore/Malaysia, but I suppose that that can be fixed...

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Are we gertting the two sisters confused? FLAMENCO I (ex SPIRIT OF LONDON) has been laid up in Malaysia for a couple of years. RIO (ex SOUTHWARD) has not been to the Far East since she was SEAWING.

quote:

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Originally posted by Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company.:
If the information provided on the ship, when it was advertised for sale, mentioned that the engines were in working order than the buyer has every reason to take action against the seller......

That I would say is not the description for a rusting hulk !
[ 07-19-2011: Message edited by: Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company. ]

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As I said if the seller made representations on the condition, it is still the buyer's responsibility to check it out and survey it even if they were buying it for scrap. In the end it will end up in the courts to sort out if there were misrepresentations and if the seller is libel or not.

quote:

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Originally posted by ahrpd:

Are we gertting the two sisters confused? FLAMENCO I (ex SPIRIT OF LONDON) has been laid up in Malaysia for a couple of years. RIO (ex SOUTHWARD) has not been to the Far East since she was SEAWING.

Tony

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About the last work she did was as a hotel ship in the South Pacific area when she was chartered to be used in New Calodonia.

Since then she returned under her own steam to Singapore where she was subject to an Admiralty Court sale and bought by a company registered in Singapore.

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Originally posted by sslewis:
Fiat diesels are strong and if I recall she had a complete refurb since I saw her in Barcelona, particularly in the restaurant which is now art deco.
Now I understand she suffered a fire as Majestic, but she was going strong in Barcelona and hope she escape the scrappers and bad tongues....

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The cosmetics have little to do with it. Of course you can always throw down some new carpets, hang wall coverings, new furniture, etc. but the critical decisions have to do with the economics and the structure.

Structurally the first thing to go on most of the ships is the tanks, a/c, etc. The stuff you can not see in the pictures. (Remember the first Oriana? She looked great above decks but her tank tops were shot.)

The motors are usually the last thing to go but even when they are the finest made it depends on the maintenance. You can have a Rolls Royce but if you do not put oil and water in and change the oil occasionally the motor will still seize up like the least expensive Yugo or Trabant.

Its very doubtful a 1990s fire is having anything to do with the decision to scrap the ex Spirit of London, etc. The classification societies would long ago have made the owners fix any serious issues from the fire when she was the Majestic.

And even if you did refurb the ship she would be a discount operation in a smaller market. She has no balconies. She has tiny cabins by modern standards. She carries a relatively small passenger load. Simply put she can not compete against the modern fleets. This is why Louis off loaded her sister ship.

Structurally the first thing to go on most of the ships is the tanks, a/c, etc. The stuff you can not see in the pictures. (Remember the first Oriana? She looked great above decks but her tank tops were shot.)

Hi

Not sure where you got this from about the tank tops on ss Oriana but I was on her for about the last ten years she was in service and it was the price of oil which sealed her fate.

The last brochure issued for her went through to September 1986 but she was withdrawn at the end of March 1986 .

From Paul Mason's Market report of 31st July:

"RIO MLT 1971 2388 (CRUISE) FOR SALE AT AUCTION 'AS IS' ASHDOD - THE FORMER 'SEAWING'"