World's oldest cruise ship makes last journey on Westerschelde
The vessel, 77 years old and more than 160 meters long, departed Thursday morning from the Waalhaven, a large harbor area in Rotterdam used for cargo and ship lay-ups, NOS and Omroep Zeeland report. The Astoria was sold at auction for 200,000 euros to a recycling company based in Ghent.
The ship passed along the Vlissingen boulevard as onlookers gathered to witness its passage. Around 2 p.m., it was expected to arrive in the outer harbor of Terneuzen.
The ship has a turbulent history. Built in 1948 by Götaverken, a shipbuilder in Göteborg, Sweden, it was originally named Stockholm after the Swedish capital. The vessel sailed between Sweden and America.
In 1956, while crossing the Atlantic Ocean in heavy fog, the ship collided with the Italian passenger liner Andrea Doria. The Andrea Doria sank, resulting in at least 51 fatalities.
Over the decades, the Astoria was sold numerous times. In 2016, it received its current name and began operating under the flag of Caribbean Island Cruises. That company went bankrupt in 2020, leading to the vessel being seized in Rotterdam’s Waalhaven.
The ship was sold again in 2021 to a Portuguese company. However, beginning in 2023, the owner stopped paying port fees. As a result, the ship’s agent placed a lien on the Astoria, and it was ordered to be auctioned.
The Gent recycler that acquired the ship plans to begin dismantling it. The Astoria contains nearly 12,000 tons of material, including metal, wood, glass, and plastics. Almost the entire vessel will be recycled, according to Omroep Zeeland.
