Achille Lauro-Cruise Ships in Antwerp

IMO: 5390008 - Achille Lauro

Info

Length:

193m

Crew:

300

Year built:

1947

Beam:

25m

Brutto tonnage:

23 629

Passengers:

1372

Follow us on social media

Navigate through the photos by using the arrow keys

Follow us on social media

The name Achille Lauro might sound familiar to many people. The ship became internationally known due to the deadly high jacking that found place on board off the coast of Egypt in 1985. The famous, or infamous cruise ship MS Achille Lauro also visited Antwerp one time. The ship of the Italian company Lauro Lines sailed a cruise along the Western-European coast in 1993, and on March 19th it sailed onto the Western Scheldt, heading for Antwerp. Around noon the ship turned around in the city centre, aided by several tugboats. Achille Lauro was welcomed in the city amid great public interest. That day it was also possible to board the ship and sail from the port of Antwerp to Zeebrugge for a fairly low price. During the departure the passengers threw confetti streamers over the railing, as it was customary in past during a special departure of a passenger ship. MS Achille Lauro was also preceded by a tugboat that sprayed a water curtain into the air which, because of the beautiful weather, resulted in the appearance of a rainbow. From the elevated promenade Zuiderterras the ship disappeared out of sight behind Sint-Anna beach. It would be the last time the ship is seen in Antwerp because one and a half years later, on 2 December 1994, the ship sank off the coast of Somalia after a raging fire on board.

In the morning, during the ascend of the river to Antwerp, the people jostled one another on the dykes in Flushing to catch a glimpse of Achille Lauro sailing by. For a lot of Dutch people the ship has great sentimental value because it was originally built as MS Willem Ruys at the shipyard ‘Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde’ in Flushing between 1939 and 1946. Many of the onlookers had even helped building the ship. They had not seen the ship in decades and did not want to miss this unique opportunity.

In 1993 Antwerp was the ‘European Capital of Culture’ and to highlight this, a minicruise was offered from Antwerp to Zeebrugge on board Achille Lauro. Embarking on a voyage between Antwerp and Zeebrugge on a cruise ship was a unique event that still hasn’t been repeated up until today. The ad promoting the minicruise certainly didn’t miss its goal as all the available places were sold out in no time. On Friday 19 March 1993 almost 600 passengers embarked on the ship for a unique sailing on the river Scheldt. At 18.30h there was a extensive dinner for all passengers. Once the ship arrived in Zeebrugge the passengers could stay on board until 22.30h after which shuttle busses were provided for the ride back to Antwerp.