Eastern Venus
The now Eastern Venus in Kobe, 2016
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Eastern Venus |
| Owner | Eastern Venus Inc. |
| Operator | DuWon Shipping |
| Port of registry | Colon, |
| Builder | Shin Nihonkai Ferry Co., Ltd. |
| Laid down | 1998 |
| Launched | 1998 |
| Maiden voyage | 1998 |
| In service | 1998–present |
| Identification | |
| Status | in service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Cruise ship |
| Tonnage | 26,594 GT |
| Length | 183.4 m (602 ft) |
| Beam | 25 m (82 ft) |
| Draft | 6.5 m (21 ft) |
| Decks | 12 passenger decks (deck 2-13) |
| Speed | 20.8 knots (38.5 km/h; 23.9 mph) |
| Capacity | 720 passengers (2024) |
| Crew | 204 (2022) |
Eastern Venus, formerly Pacific Venus, is a cruise ship built in 1998 by Japanese company Venus Cruise Line, a subsidiary of the Shin Nihonkai Ferry company. In 2023, the ship was sold to Panamanian company Eastern Venus Inc. following its owner's shutdown and subsequently renamed to Eastern Venus, with the International Register of Shipping listing the official manager and operator as DuWon Shipping, a South Korea-based company affiliated with Eastern Venus Inc.
Description
Eastern Venus has a total length of 183.4 meters and a width of 25 meters, stationarily weighing 4,202 tons and having a gross tonnage of 26,594 tons.[1][2] The vessel is mainly light-colored and contains four royal suites with their respective names, two of them being the "Archaic" and "Modern" suites, following Japanese traditional architecture, with the other two, the "Noble" and "Elegant" being more modern-looking in style.[3]
In addition to the royal suites, there are sixteen regular suites. Royal suites have several more features than the regular ones, such as larger bathroom space and a bedroom separate from the main living room. "Primavera", the name for the ship's dining room, has over 300 seats and serves both Japanese and Western food.[3]
History
Eastern Venus was built under the name Pacific Venus in 1998, with its first voyage being a 40-day one across East Asia that same year. It was originally owned by Japan Cruise Line, under the branding name Venus Cruise Line; this cruise line was a subsidiary of the company of Shin Nihonkai Ferry.[1] Since then, the ship sailed around Japan and went as far as Europe. On the vessel's 15-year anniversary (in January 2013), it followed the same route as it did on its first journey, this time taking 42 days.[3]
Venus Cruise Line, in early November 2022, announced it would be shutting down and closing its operations and business, and the last voyage under the company (and name Pacific Venus) would be from Kobe, Japan to Shidao, China and back within the period of 27 December 2022 to 4 January 2023. Venus Cruise Line had approximately 80 voyages with about 25,000 domestic tourists yearly before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.[3][4]
The new company that the ship was sold to is the Panama-based single-ship Eastern Venus Incorporation. Later, the company was renamed to Eastern Cruise. The company is affiliated with DuWon Shipping, the ship's operator and manager based in South Korea, where homeports were set up along with some in Taiwan. Un Song Kim, Public Relations and Marketing General Manager of Eastern Cruise, predicted an estimated 5.17% growth in South Korea's cruise market every year from 2024 to 2028.[5][6] With the change in ownership, the port of registry also changed, going from Osaka, Japan to Colon, Panama.[3][1]
References
- ^ a b c "Pacific Venus cruise ship – PHOTOGUIDE.JP". PhotoGuide. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "BalticShipping.com". www.balticshipping.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Eastern Venus Itinerary, Current Position, Ship Review". CruiseMapper. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Former Pacific Venus Sets Sail to China - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". Cruise Industry News. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Eastern Cruise to Launch New Operation with Former Pacific Venus - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". Cruise Industry News. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ Boonzaier, Jonathan (11 December 2023). "Japan's Shin Nihonkai out of cruise as Pacific Venus moves on to South Korean owner". TradeWinds | Latest shipping and maritime news. Retrieved 2 November 2024.