MV Regent Sky

MV Regent Sky was an unfinished cruise ship that travelled to several locations during her incomplete construction. She was initially being built in Poland as the cruise ferry Stena Baltica, one of four sister ships planned for the Stena Line. Still incomplete, she was purchased by Regency Cruises and moved to Greece, but her new owners filed for bankruptcy in 1995.

The Regent Sky laid up at Eleusis.
History
Name:
  • 1984–1990: Stena Baltica
  • 1990–??: Regent Sky
  • ??–2011: Zoe
Owner:
  • 1984–1989: Stena Line (planned)
  • 1989–1996: Regency Cruises
  • 1996–1999: Bank of Greece
  • 1999–2004: Sea Nomad Maritime
  • 2004–2011: Prince Nomad
Port of registry:
Builder: Stocznia Gdanska SA, Gdansk
Yard number: B494/04
Laid down: 1985
Launched: 16 October 1990
In service: 1997/98 (planned)
Identification: IMO number: 7907685
Fate: Never finished; broken up in 2011[1]
General characteristics
Tonnage: 55,000 tons
Length:
  • 174.9 meters (1986)
  • 228 meters (1990)
Beam: 27.7 meters
Draught: 6.7 meters
Capacity: 1,600 passengers (planned)

The unfinished ship was sold for scrap in July 2011.[1]

History

Regent Sky was originally ordered in 1979 and laid down in 1985 under the name Stena Baltica.[2] She was one of four fairly identical cruise ferries being built by Stocznia im Lenina, in Gdańsk, a Polish seaport on the Baltic coast, for Stena Line, Stena Germanica, Stena Scandinavica and Stena Polonica.[3] In 1986, her construction was cancelled (and her sisters' delayed) because of problems with the shipyard.[4]

The unfinished hull was purchased in 1989 by A. Lelakis, owner of Regency Cruises.[5] Regency planned to put her into service as their first new ship, having previously purchased and converted ocean liners.[6] Stena Baltica was towed to the Avlis Shipyards at Perama, Greece (also owned by Lelakis), where a US$200 million process to convert her into a cruise ship began. The vessel was renamed Regent Sky at this time, and 7,000 tons of steel were installed after she was lengthened 50 meters at Elefsis Shipyards in Greece.

In 1995, while Regent Sky was at the Avlis Shipyards of Chalkis, Greece and about 60% finished, Regency Cruises ceased operations. The vessel was seized by the National Bank of Greece and Hellenic Industrial Development Bank in July 1999. Since then, Regent Sky has moved from one lay up berth to another, including Perama, Ambelakia and then Kinossoura. All attempts to sell the vessel at auction failed. The Regent Sky had been laid up and moved to anchorage off Eleusis, Greece, until July 2011 when she was sold for scrapping.[1][7] The never finished hulk arrived for demolition in Aliaga, Turkey on 16 July 2012.[8][9]

Condition
A rendering of Regent Sky as Zoe.

Since her construction was halted, Regent Sky had rusted heavily. During her conversion Wärtsilä main engines were installed. After the bankruptcy of Regency, the engines were removed, leaving Regent Sky unable to move without being towed. The foremost part of her bow was never completed. There were several renderings of the completed ship, with one depicting her as Zoe, sporting a white hull and red funnel.

References
  1. "Ship Demolitions 23rd July 2011". The Ship Scrapping List. 23 July 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  2. Some sources state Stena Polonica
  3. "M/S Stena Baltica (1988)" (in Swedish). Fakta om fartyg. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011.
  4. "Regent Sky". Ugly Ships. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  5. "Regent Sky". Ship Spotting. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  6. Ian Boyle. "Regency Fleet". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  7. "THE EMERALD of Eleusis And Piraeus To Petrola-ing". Martin Cox's Maritime Matters. 22 September 2011.
  8. "Uncompleted Cruise Ship Regency Sky (Zoe) off for Scrapping!". Ship Recycling. 25 July 2011.
  9. "Video: Ship Breaking Yards Turkey Izmir Aliaga Ship Breaking".

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