Louis Cruise Lines
Encyclopedia
Louis Cruises is a Cyprus-based cruise line
that operates cruises from Cyprus, France, Italy, India and Greece (the operations from Greece were previously marketed under the name Louis Hellenic Cruise Lines, but as of 2008 there is no mention of the brand on Louis' website). The company also charters several ships to Thomson Cruises. Although Louis started operating short cruises out of Cyprus in the early 70s, Louis Cruises was officially established in 1986 when MV Princesa Marissa, its first owned cruise ship, was purchased. Louis Cruises is a subsidiary of Louis plc and member of Louis Group, the leading tourism group in the Eastern Mediterranean, founded in 1935 by the late Louis Loizou, acknowledged as the "father of Cyprus tourism".
Louis plc is a public listed company whose shares are quoted in the Cyprus Stock Exchange
.
The Louis Cruises fleet consist mainly of older second- or third-hand ships. One of them, the Emerald, is the last ocean liner
built in the US still in service. Recently she was laid up due to not being compatible with SOLAS 2010.
Louis Cruises is the fifth largest cruise operator in the world.
Louis Cruises is a subsidiary of the Cyprus-based travel and tourism group Louis plc, that was founded in 1935 as the first travel agency in Cyprus. During the 1970s the company began chartering ferries for short cruises Cyprus, which eventually led to the purchase of the cruiseferry
MV Prinsessan from the Finland-based Birka Line
for $4 million in 1987. Renamed , the ship started making cruises from Limassol
to the Greek Isles, Egypt and Israel under the then newly-established Louis Cruise Lines band. By 1994 the company had acquired three more ships, all of which were used in the short cruise market from Cyprus.
In the mid-90s Louis Cruise Lines entered the business of chartering ships to other companies, chartering (renamed Sapphire) to the UK-based Thomson Cruises in 1996. The following year the newly-acquired The Emerald was also chartered to Thomson. In 1999 Louis chartered the 1998-acquired SS Ausonia
to First Choice Holidays, one of Thomson's competitors in the UK market. By this time the Louis fleet consisted of a total of eight ships. In 1999 Louis also acquired a stake in the Greece-based Royal Olympic Cruises. Royal Olympic was already in difficulties by the time Louis became involved with the company, and the 11 September 2001 attacks dealt a further blow, finally leading to the collapse of Royal Olympic in 2004.
During the early 2000s Louis further modernised their fleet by acquiring Calypso in 2000, and chartering MV Nieuw Amsterdam from Holland America Line
in 2003, immediately sub-chartering her to Thomson as . In 2004 Louis acquired from the fleet of the UK-based Sun Cruises (which had gone out of business). Another former Sun Cruises ship, , was chartered from a Norway-based investment company and sub-chartered to Thomson Cruises. The new acquisitions also made possible the sale of three of Louis' older vessels. Also in 2004, following the collapse of Royal Olympic Cruises, Louis Cruise Lines purchased two of their former ships at bargain prices and established their own Louis Hellenic Cruises brand for the Greek cruise market.
Further expansion came in 2006 with the purchase of and , another former Baltic Sea cruise ferry purchased from Birka Line, while Calypso was chartered to Thomson and Aquamarine (renamed Arielle) to Transocean Tours
. Additionally Louis entered a franchise agreement with easyCruise
to operate ships in the Eastern Mediterranean on behalf of easyCruise in the future. Disaster struck in April 2007 when the Sea Diamond sunk off Santorini
, Greece. All but two of the ship's passengers were safely evacuated, but the sinking resulted in a flurry of negative publicity for Louis. MV Oceanic II and were chartered as temporary replacements for the Sea Diamond, until – former Silja Line
cruise ship MV Silja Opera – entered service in July 2007. In 2008 the Arielle was returned from her charter to Transocean Tours, reverted to her earlier name Aquamarine and entered service under the Louis Hellenic Cruises brand. By early 2008 the Louis Hellenic Cruises brand appeared to have been abandoned.
In April 2008 Louis Cruise Lines agreed to purchase MV Norwegian Dream
and MV Norwegian Majesty
from Star Cruises
. The agreement at the time was to charter the ships back to Star Cruises/Norwegian Cruise Line
until November 2008 and December 2009, respectively. However, in September 2008 Louis cancelled the purchase of the Norwegian Dream due to "technical issues relating to the vessel". In May 2008 Louis Cruise Lines purchased Thomson Destiny and Thomson Spirit that had previously been operated under charter. At the same time Princesa Marissa and Serenade were sold for scrap.
In 2009 the company changed its name to Louis Cruises.
In 2010 Louis Cruises became a five ship fleet due to having laying up the SS Emerald & due to the SOLAS 2010 and the selling of the in order to renew the fleet.
– Under charter to Thomson Cruises until 2014; previously Sunbird. – Under charter to Thomson Cruises until 2014; previously Patriot.
Cruise line
A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships. Cruise lines have a dual character; they are partly in the transportation business, and partly in the leisure entertainment business, a duality that carries down into the ships themselves, which have both a crew headed by the ship's captain,...
that operates cruises from Cyprus, France, Italy, India and Greece (the operations from Greece were previously marketed under the name Louis Hellenic Cruise Lines, but as of 2008 there is no mention of the brand on Louis' website). The company also charters several ships to Thomson Cruises. Although Louis started operating short cruises out of Cyprus in the early 70s, Louis Cruises was officially established in 1986 when MV Princesa Marissa, its first owned cruise ship, was purchased. Louis Cruises is a subsidiary of Louis plc and member of Louis Group, the leading tourism group in the Eastern Mediterranean, founded in 1935 by the late Louis Loizou, acknowledged as the "father of Cyprus tourism".
Louis plc is a public listed company whose shares are quoted in the Cyprus Stock Exchange
Cyprus Stock Exchange
The Cyprus Stock Exchange or CSE is a stock exchange located in Nicosia, Cyprus. It was established under the Cyprus Securities and Stock Exchange Law which provides for the development of the securities market in Cyprus and for the establishment and operation of the Cyprus Stock Exchange, and was...
.
The Louis Cruises fleet consist mainly of older second- or third-hand ships. One of them, the Emerald, is the last ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
built in the US still in service. Recently she was laid up due to not being compatible with SOLAS 2010.
Louis Cruises is the fifth largest cruise operator in the world.
Company history
Cruiseferry
A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship with a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while others use the ships as means of...
MV Prinsessan from the Finland-based Birka Line
Birka Line
Birka Line is an Ålandian shipping company that operates a cruise ship on the Baltic Sea with Stockholm as the starting point under the name Birka Cruises. Birka Line has a cargo-shipping subsidiary, Birka Cargo. During the 1970s the company was often marketed as Ålandslinjen...
for $4 million in 1987. Renamed , the ship started making cruises from Limassol
Limassol
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...
to the Greek Isles, Egypt and Israel under the then newly-established Louis Cruise Lines band. By 1994 the company had acquired three more ships, all of which were used in the short cruise market from Cyprus.
In the mid-90s Louis Cruise Lines entered the business of chartering ships to other companies, chartering (renamed Sapphire) to the UK-based Thomson Cruises in 1996. The following year the newly-acquired The Emerald was also chartered to Thomson. In 1999 Louis chartered the 1998-acquired SS Ausonia
SS Ivory
SS Ausonia, later known as the SS Ivory and Aegean Two while in service with her last owners, Golden Star Cruises, was a cruise liner belonging to Louis Cruise Lines operating in the Mediterranean. She operated mostly cruise service during her 52 years of life...
to First Choice Holidays, one of Thomson's competitors in the UK market. By this time the Louis fleet consisted of a total of eight ships. In 1999 Louis also acquired a stake in the Greece-based Royal Olympic Cruises. Royal Olympic was already in difficulties by the time Louis became involved with the company, and the 11 September 2001 attacks dealt a further blow, finally leading to the collapse of Royal Olympic in 2004.
During the early 2000s Louis further modernised their fleet by acquiring Calypso in 2000, and chartering MV Nieuw Amsterdam from Holland America Line
Holland America Line
The Holland America Line is a cruise shipping company. It was founded in 1873 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company , a shipping and passenger line. Headquartered in Rotterdam and providing service to the Americas, it became known as Holland America Line...
in 2003, immediately sub-chartering her to Thomson as . In 2004 Louis acquired from the fleet of the UK-based Sun Cruises (which had gone out of business). Another former Sun Cruises ship, , was chartered from a Norway-based investment company and sub-chartered to Thomson Cruises. The new acquisitions also made possible the sale of three of Louis' older vessels. Also in 2004, following the collapse of Royal Olympic Cruises, Louis Cruise Lines purchased two of their former ships at bargain prices and established their own Louis Hellenic Cruises brand for the Greek cruise market.
Transocean Tours
Transocean Tours is a Germany-based cruise line that operates three ocean-going cruise ships on the German and British markets, as well as five river cruise ships on the German market...
. Additionally Louis entered a franchise agreement with easyCruise
EasyCruise
EasyCruise is an enterprise of Greek ferry operator Hellenic Seaways, sold to them in August 2009 for £9 million by founder and Cypriot/British business man, Stelios Haji-Ioannou. EasyCruise launched their first cruise ship EasyCruiseOne in 2005...
to operate ships in the Eastern Mediterranean on behalf of easyCruise in the future. Disaster struck in April 2007 when the Sea Diamond sunk off Santorini
Santorini
Santorini , officially Thira , is an island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera...
, Greece. All but two of the ship's passengers were safely evacuated, but the sinking resulted in a flurry of negative publicity for Louis. MV Oceanic II and were chartered as temporary replacements for the Sea Diamond, until – former Silja Line
Silja Line
Silja Line is a Finnish cruiseferry brand operated by the Estonian ferry company AS Tallink Grupp, for car and passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden. The former company Silja Oy – today Tallink Silja Oy – is a subsidiary of Tallink Grupp, handling marketing and sales for Tallink and Silja...
cruise ship MV Silja Opera – entered service in July 2007. In 2008 the Arielle was returned from her charter to Transocean Tours, reverted to her earlier name Aquamarine and entered service under the Louis Hellenic Cruises brand. By early 2008 the Louis Hellenic Cruises brand appeared to have been abandoned.
In April 2008 Louis Cruise Lines agreed to purchase MV Norwegian Dream
Norwegian Dream
MS Norwegian Dream is a cruise ship owned by Star Cruises. She was built in 1992 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France as MS Dreamward for traffic with Norwegian Cruise Line...
and MV Norwegian Majesty
Norwegian Majesty
The MS Louis Majesty is a cruise ship owned and operated by Louis Cruise Lines. She was originally ordered by Birka Line as MS Birka Queen from the Wärtsilä Marine Turku Shipyard in Finland, but completed by Kvaerner Masa-Yards as MS Royal Majesty for Majesty Cruise Line...
from Star Cruises
Star Cruises
Star Cruises , a member of Genting Hong Kong, is the sixth largest cruise line in the world behind companies such as Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises...
. The agreement at the time was to charter the ships back to Star Cruises/Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or...
until November 2008 and December 2009, respectively. However, in September 2008 Louis cancelled the purchase of the Norwegian Dream due to "technical issues relating to the vessel". In May 2008 Louis Cruise Lines purchased Thomson Destiny and Thomson Spirit that had previously been operated under charter. At the same time Princesa Marissa and Serenade were sold for scrap.
In 2009 the company changed its name to Louis Cruises.
In 2010 Louis Cruises became a five ship fleet due to having laying up the SS Emerald & due to the SOLAS 2010 and the selling of the in order to renew the fleet.
Awards
- In December 2010 Lloyds List named Louis Cruises the "Greek Passenger Line of the Year" at their annual Greek Shipping Awards Ceremony.
Current Ships
– Operates cruises from Spain; previously Triton and built as Cunard Adventurer – Operates cruises from Greece; Previously Silja Opera – Operates cruises from France and Italy; previously Bolero- The Calypso – Operates cruises from Cyprus; previously Regent Jewel. – Operates cruises from Greece. Previously MV Norwegian Majesty
Chartered ships
Former ships
(1986–2008) – Sold for scrap 2008. (1988–2005) – Scrapped. (1994–2000) – Scrapped.- MV Princesa Victoria (1994–2004) – Scrapped. (2000–2008) – Sold for scrap 2008. (2006–2007) – Sunk near SantoriniSantoriniSantorini , officially Thira , is an island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera...
, Greece, 6 April 2007. - MV Oceanic II (2007) – Since 2008 MV Mona Lisa for Lord Nelson Seereisen. (2007) – Since December 2007 MV Ocean Countess for Monarch Classic Cruises. – Sold to Golden Star Cruises, then scrapped at Alang, India, March 2010
- SS Emerald – Withdrawn from service on 1 July 2010 due to SOLAS 2010 and is currently laid up. – Laid up due to SOLAS 2010 and is also tied up to the SS Emerald; Previously Princesa Oceanica – Sold to Corporacion De Cruceros Nacionales as the – Sold to Israel in 2009
External links
- Company website
- Louis Cruise Line at Fakta om Fartyg
- Louis Cruise Line Postcards