Pacific Aria

Pacific Aria is a cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises Australia. Completed in 1994, she previously sailed for Holland America Line as Ryndam, and will sail for Cruise & Maritime Voyages as Ida Pfeiffer from 2021.

Pacific Aria as MS Ryndam departing Trondheim in 2014.
History
Name:
  • Ryndam (1994–2015)
  • Pacific Aria (2015–2021)
  • Ida Pfeiffer (2021–onward)
Owner:
  • Carnival Corporation (1994–2021)
  • Fresco Cruises (2021–onward)
Operator:
Port of registry:
Builder: Fincantieri
Yard number: Monfalcone shipyard 5883
Launched: 1994
Completed: 9 September 1994
In service: 1994
Identification:
Status: In service
Notes: [1]
General characteristics
Class and type: Statendam-class cruise ship
Tonnage:
Length: 219.4 m (719 ft 10 in)
Beam: 30.8 m (101 ft 1 in)
Draught: 7.71 m (25 ft 4 in)
Depth: 19.13 m (62 ft 9 in)
Decks: 13
Speed: 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Capacity: 1,258 passengers
Crew: 602
Notes: [1]

Construction and career

MS Ryndam

Pacific Aria previously served as Ryndam from 1994 to 2015, where she served as a member of Holland America Line's Statendam class, otherwise known as S class. She was ordered in November 1989 alongside two sister ships of her class, and was designated hull number 5883.[2] Her keel was laid by Fincantieri in 1993. From 1993 to 1994, the ship was completed and underwent sea trials. In 1994, Ryndam was christened by Madeleine Arison, and she embarked on her maiden voyage.[3] In 2006, Ryndam underwent dry dock renovations at Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, Grand Bahama.[3]

Pacific Aria as MS Ryndam in Oranjestad, Aruba.

From January through March 2007, the cruise ship suffered three outbreaks of norovirus and was forced to return to San Diego, California. 355 passengers and 47 crew became sick on the three voyages. After the third outbreak, the vessel underwent a three-day disinfectant servicing before returning to cruise operations. In February 2008, Ryndam returned to San Diego from a ten-day tour with 113 passengers and 8 crew sickened from a norovirus outbreak.[4]

In November 2010, an intoxicated passenger released Ryndam's stern anchor while the ship was in international waters en route to Florida. No damage to the ship was reported.[5] In 2010, Ryndam once again underwent dry dock renovations at Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, Grand Bahama.[6]

On 20 May 2014, Holland America Line announced the transfer of Ryndam to P&O Cruises Australia.[7]

In April 2015, two passengers on board Ryndam were found deceased in their stateroom in what appeared to be a murder-suicide. According to Holland America Line, "The cabin was immediately secured and the authorities, including the FBI, were notified." As of now, the formal cause of death associated with the incident remains unclear.[8] In July 2015, Ryndam had to terminate a sailing early due to an outbreak of norovirus. She was sailing a 14-day itinerary, which featured ports of call in Iceland and Norway. She underwent a deep clean in the Port of Harwich immediately afterwards, and returned to service shortly thereafter.[9]

Pacific Aria

After concluding her final season with Holland America Line, Ryndam sailed to Singapore for dry dock at Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard. From 31 October to 12 November 2015, Ryndam underwent extensive interior and exterior changes, emerging as the new Pacific Aria.[10] In an attempt to garner global social media recognition for the introduction of two new flagships, P&O Cruises Australia broadcast the ships' christening ceremony on Twitter and through their godmothers' social media accounts. On 25 November, Pacific Aria and her sister, Pacific Eden, were renamed at a ceremony held in Port Jackson, Sydney. Jessica Mauboy served as the godmother for Pacific Aria.[11]

Ida Pfeiffer

In November 2019, P&O Cruises Australia announced the sale of Pacific Aria to Cruise & Maritime Voyages. From 2021, Pacific Aria will be named Ida Pfeiffer, in honour of the famous Austrian explorer. The two lines have agreed to a formal transfer of ownership in Singapore on 2 May 2020, followed by an extensive dry dock period for Pacific Aria, in order to prepare her for sailing for Cruise & Maritime Voyage's TransOcean Tours brand.[12]

References
  1. "Advanced Masterdata for the Vessel Ryndam". VesselTracker. 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  2. Payne, Stephen (24 July 2011). "Statendam" (PDF). knvts.nl. Archived from archief/CruiseshipStatendam.pdf the original Check |url= value (help) (PDF) on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  3. "Ryndam to sail with full 'Signature of Excellence' features". travelweekly.com. 14 October 2004. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  4. Winkley, Lyndsay (14 April 2014). "Cruise hit with norovirus docks in SD". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  5. "Anchor Drop Lands Cruise Passenger in Brig". The Smoking Gun. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  6. "Ryndam Receives Latest Signature of Excellence Upgrades". cruiseindustrynews.com. 10 March 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  7. Sloan, Gene (20 May 2014). "Two Holland America ships to leave fleet". USA Today. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  8. Machan, Teresa (7 April 2015). "Cruise couple found dead in cabin in apparent murder suicide". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  9. Creed, Rebecca (3 July 2015). "Cruise ship passengers heading to Harwich struck down with Norovirus". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  10. "It's Time! The Transformation of Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden Begins". carnivalaustralia.com. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  11. "P&O to Make History as Australian Stars Name Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden by Twitter" (Press release). Carnival Corporation & plc. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  12. "Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria Bought by CMV". cruiseindustrynews.com. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
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