Canada-based Bridgemans Services Group has suddenly decided to scrap the luxury cruise ship it purchased in March 2024. Thus, the ship’s 50-year career has ended at the Aliağa Shipbreaking Facilities.
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Built in 1974 and capable of hosting 226 guests, the 3,433 dwt ship is 125 meters long and 15 meters wide.
It was lying down until Bridgemans bought it
The ship, which was put on hold when the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, remained inactive until Bridgemans purchased it from Diamond Cruise Partners, an investor group affiliated with Miami-based Sunstone Ship. The ship, which has changed names many times since then and was last named Ocean Diamond, was renamed Diamond XI.
When purchased, the ship was described by Bridgemans as “a beautiful ship that perfectly suits the resources and other projects that require first-class accommodation up to 350 beds, dining, entertainment and more.”
Highest-rated cruise ship
When built in Norway, the Ro-Ro ship named Begonia, Diamond XI was converted into a luxury cruise ship by Oslo-based Fearnley & Eger about ten years later as Explorer Starship.
The ship was then converted again at Lloyd-Werft in Germany and chartered for two years to US-based Exploration Cruise Lines before being sold to Seven Seas Cruise Line, now known as Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Here, the ship, which began service as Song of Flower, became one of the highest-rated ships in the cruise industry.
Purchased by French cruise operator Compagnie Des Iles Du Ponant in 2003, the ship continued to operate under the name Le Diamant.
At the time, the niche cruise operator, which had two very small ships, entered the increasingly popular polar exploration cruise sector with this ship and paved the way for orders for larger, luxury ice-class ships.
It is not yet known why Bridgemans decided to end the Diamond XI project so quickly.
