Hong Kong: China’s rapidly increasing involvement in cruise shipping investment has seen the first cruise service just completed in the Gulf of Thailand since Star Cruises pulled out of the market in 2002.
Hong Kong–headquartered Profit Summit Deluxe Cruise has underwritten a new cruise business that departed August 3 from Laem Chabang to Samui Island and onto Sihanoukville in Cambodia on a four day, three night trip. The Chinese company has set up with Thailand’s Eastime Shipping to run the 1,000 passenger MV Ocean Dream. The 1972-built ship was bought two years ago by the Hong Kong firm, rescuing it from a trip to the breakers. Its immediate past name was Flamenco, and it belonged to Festival Cruises.
Departures are twice weekly on Monday and Friday with a lead-in price for a berth of Bt11,000 per person.
According to a report in Thanonline news, all of the passengers on the new cruise venture will be Chinese tourists who have pre-paid for the trip.
The 20,000 gt MV Ocean Dream can accommodate up to 1,060 passengers in 420 cabins. [09/08/12]
