Nieuw Amsterdam at Alang ?

[RedmondCruiser]

This is the 1983 version so don't panic - this is the Nieuw Amsterdam III.   On Google Earth I looked at Alang India,  where ships go to die and there was either the Nieuw Amsterdam III or the Noordam III.  The satellite view was dated in January of 2019 so the ship would be cut up by now.  HAL had leased both ships but was still listed as the owner.  Did HAL send one of them to Alang to be broken up ?  The ship on the satellite view looks like either the Nieuw Amsterdam III or the Noordam III.

 

We sailed on both ships and have many good memories.  Sad to see them go.

[john2003]

Nieuw Amsterdam was being sailed by Thomson. She was our first cruise ship although we had both sailed when ships actually took you from A to B. 

[RedmondCruiser]

Answered my own question.  The Nieuw Amstedam III was sold to Alang and is now rebar and razor blades.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Marella_Spirit

[rjbean4]

Its was the OLD Nieuw A. She is pretty much gone by now and I also found a couple of pictures that made me cry that included after she had been beached and during the scrapping process. Thought of where our cabins had been during all the times we sailed on her and that part of the hull was gone. During this time staying at home I have gone back to transferring video off of VHS tapes to MPEG's and DVD's going back to our 90-91 holiday cruise when we bought our first video camera during a stop at St. Thomas. It sure has brought back memories that I want to preserve. I have what I need to do this as since we have so much would cost us a fortune to have someone else do it. She was our first HAL ship during all the years she was sailing from Tampa. Why the current Nieuw A is our ship today. Its been a very hard pill to swallow with all that has happened. We don't have any cruising plans till December for the Holidays but have said to mom that we may have taken our last cruise and we have been at sea for the Holidays every year since 1988. 32 years and counting. Will see how things go when the ships start sailing again because it sure doesn't appear that they will all start up at once and will be gradual. My mom is also 89 and has underlying health problems. We also don't have family in our area.

 

Oh I also read somewhere recently that the old Noordam and Westerdam are for sale.

Edited April 27, 2020 by rjbean4

[rafinmd]

Nieuw Statendam is now back to "Scheduled" for 1900.

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, RedmondCruiser said:

Answered my own question.  The Nieuw Amstedam III was sold to Alang and is now rebar and razor blades.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Marella_Spirit

 

 

Mare S (her last name taken from Marella Spirit) on the beach at Alang, India (from Nedcruise) Prior to that she was Nieuw Amsterdam III, Patriot, and Thomson Spirit

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Nieuw Amsterdam sailing for HAL in her glory days. She was our first HAL ship back in 1993

[Sir PMP]

32 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

Nieuw Amsterdam sailing for HAL in her glory days. She was our first HAL ship back in 1993

It was a beauty built in St. Nazaire..Our first ship in 1991..

[Roger88]

What do you mean by saying "ships go to die"? Usually when such big ships are out of service they are stationed somewhere in North Africa where they get cut into parts and then get sold. China buys most of the spare parts of these ships. Its funny how they build such a big ship which has a service period for only 3-5 years..

[Copper10-8]

18 minutes ago, Roger88 said:

What do you mean by saying "ships go to die"? Usually when such big ships are out of service they are stationed somewhere in North Africa where they get cut into parts and then get sold. China buys most of the spare parts of these ships. Its funny how they build such a big ship which has a service period for only 3-5 years..

 

For your reading pleasure 😎 Gotta admit "3-5 years service period" was a new one 

 

https://www.traveller.com.au/what-happens-to-old-cruise-ships-scrapped-sunk-or-turned-into-hotels-and-museums-h1280l

 

https://shipbreakingbd.info/ship-breaking-around-the-world/

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/11/the-ship-breakers/100859/

[Himself]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

Nieuw Amsterdam sailing for HAL in her glory days. She was our first HAL ship back in 1993

John, That was my very first HAL ship.  I remember her well.  That was a Western Caribbean cruise out of New Orleans 

That was to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.  .

[Copper10-8]

1 minute ago, Himself said:

John, That was my very first HAL ship.  I remember her well.  That was a Western Caribbean cruise out of New Orleans 

That was to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.  .

 

 

We did a similar itinerary on her in Dec 1996 Father: New Orleans - Cozumel - Grand Cayman and Key West

 

But we did our very first HAL cruise on her out of Tampa, FL in Nov 1993, almost identical itinerary; Tampa - Grand Cayman - Ocho Rios - Cozumel and Key West. 

 

Not one balcony to be found on Nieuw A III, nor on her identical sister Noordam III 😉 

[Despegue]

1 hour ago, Roger88 said:

What do you mean by saying "ships go to die"? Usually when such big ships are out of service they are stationed somewhere in North Africa where they get cut into parts and then get sold. China buys most of the spare parts of these ships. Its funny how they build such a big ship which has a service period for only 3-5 years..

I presume you mean 30 to 50 years... 

regarding scrapyards, Alang is by far the largest and is in Gujarat, India. 

Most large maritime scrapyards are situated in either Pakistan or India.

 

In North Africa, there are no major scrapyards.

the closest one is in Mauretania, which is  North-West African country, but that one , called Nouadhibou, is mostly for fishing boats and is not so much used for scrapping/selling per se. I have recently seen the area, lots of rustbuckets, but no cruise ships,. They all go die on the Indian shores.

[Copper10-8]

32 minutes ago, Despegue said:

I presume you mean 30 to 50 years... 

regarding scrapyards, Alang is by far the largest and is in Gujarat, India. 

Most large maritime scrapyards are situated in either Pakistan or India.

 

In North Africa, there are no major scrapyards.

the closest one is in Mauretania, which is  North-West African country, but that one , called Nouadhibou, is mostly for fishing boats and is not so much used for scrapping/selling per se. I have recently seen the area, lots of rustbuckets, but no cruise ships,. They all go die on the Indian shores.

 

In addition to the ones you mentioned, there's also Chittagong in Bangladesh and a couple of yards in Pakistan. Some older HAL ships were scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan and, closer to home, Aliaga, Turkey was also used for large ship scrapping however, you don't hear too much anymore about the latter two

[Himself]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

We did a similar itinerary on her in Dec 1996 Father: New Orleans - Cozumel - Grand Cayman and Key West

 

But we did our very first HAL cruise on her out of Tampa, FL in Nov 1993, almost identical itinerary; Tampa - Grand Cayman - Ocho Rios - Cozumel and Key West. 

 

Not one balcony to be found on Nieuw A III, nor on her identical sister Noordam III 😉 

My, how things have changed

[RedmondCruiser]

3 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

Nieuw Amsterdam sailing for HAL in her glory days. She was our first HAL ship back in 1993

 

Went on her in 1993 to Alaska.  Only sailed on her once but sailed on the Noordam III (her sister ship nine times) On most of those cruises the master was either Jacob W. Dijk or Eelcko Ypma.  Always picked a cabin on the Sun Deck.  Mariner Society awards were done in the Explorers Lounge (one sitting) and they were giving out awards for being on a second cruise (also came with a picture with the Captain.  How times have changed.  Premium A & B cabins had no veranda and came with an obstructed view.  Loved the layout and had many memorable times on board.  Sorry to see her go.

[Essiesmom]

March 2002 in Honolulu.  She seems confused as to whether she is Patriot or Nieuw Amsterdam.  EM

 

 

Statendam was there also, as the fireboat comes out to welcome us on Star Princess inaugural cruise:

 

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by Essiesmom

[Krazy Kruizers]

We sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 1998 -- South America.  Also sailed on the old Noordam.

 

Too many of the old ships that we have sailed on are long gone.  I saw a picture of the Island Princess and Norway at Alang -- side by side -- rusting away and partially broken up.  Saw the cabins we stayed in for both ships -- made me cry.

[john2003]

Agree it is very sad but at least we have great memories!! 

We wonder how long the Marco Polo has?  Another of our great memories from our early cruising.   

[frankc98376]

Mt first HAL ship in late 1983 when she was doing 14 night Mexico cruises out of San Francisco.  Wonderful ship- loved the "vibrating" beds 🙂

[Copper10-8]

9 minutes ago, frankc98376 said:

Mt first HAL ship in late 1983 when she was doing 14 night Mexico cruises out of San Francisco.  Wonderful ship- loved the "vibrating" beds 🙂

 

 

Didn't even have to put a quarter in those bad boys 😉