MS Adriana

MS Adriana was a mid-sized cruise vessel with old fashion "ocean liner" design and French-style interior. The vessel was last owned by Adriana Shipping Ltd and scrapped in 2019 at the shipbreaking facility in Aliaga (Turkey). In 2015, the cruise ship started operations in the Caribbean Sea (under St Kitts and Nevis flag of convenience) for the ship-charterer West Indies Cruise Line. The liner was last homeported in Port-of-Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) from which were offered roundtrip itineraries.

The ship's identification numbers were 7118404 (IMO) and 341857000 (last MMSI, St Kitts & Nevis-flagged). Vessel's AIS transponder was last active (transmitting) on August 31, 2019, then went silent - forever.

History - construction and ownership

The 308-passenger cruise ship Adriana was built for HML (Hellenic Mediterranean Lines) in 1972 and originally named MV Aquarius. Adriana was HML company's first vessel and also the first purpose-built in Greece passenger ship. Aquarius was constructed at United Shipping Yard (in Perama, Greece) as vessel 54 (yard number). It was launched (floated out from drydock) on September 15, 1971, and delivered/commissioned in June 1972.

• In 1987, following a poor cruising season (due to the hijacking of the Italian cruise liner Achille Lauro off Egypt's coast by 4 men representing PLF-Palestine Liberation Front), the Aquarius ship was sold (in Rijeka Croatia) to the Croatian shipping company Jadrolinija and then renamed "Adriana". The liner operated in the Adriatic Sea for Jadrolinija Cruises, but was also chartered to other small cruise lines (including Hapag-Lloyd).
• In 1997 the vessel was sold to Marina Cruises and started operation for the French tour company Plein Cap (now Tvl Voyages). Between April 2008-September 2010, the new shipowner Tapas Inc renamed the liner "Adriana III".
• The next shipowner (Tropicana Cruises) reflagged the ship to St Kitts and Nevis (in September 2010), crewed it predominately with Russians (including its Master/Captain Sergey Ponyatovsky) and deployed the ship in the Caribbean for cruises out of homeport Havana Cuba (2011-2012). The shipowner "Black and Baltic Seas Cruise Company (B&BS) deployed the vessel in the Black Sea and homeported it in Odessa Ukraine (2013) and Sochi Russia (2014).

In 2015, the liner was acquired by Adriana Shipping and chartered to West Indies Cruise Line for Caribbean cruises with roundtrips out of Port-of-Spain (Trinidad).

Cruise itinerary program

MS Adriana's last cruise itinerary program was based on Southern Caribbean cruises operated year-round with roundtrips from Trinidad (Port-of-Spain).

Shipboard facilities and amenities

MS Adriana dining options included Main Dining Room (buffet restaurant), Grill-Bar and two bars offering various beverages and premium cocktails. The ship had a Music Lounge (show lounge/salon with its own bar), Casino (with gaming tables and slot machines), wellness complex (Spa massages, Hair and Beauty Salon), Sauna Room. For more information see the ship's deck plans.

In the Caribbean, the ship's managing company was the Trinidad-based Carvalho's Cruise Services Ltd, which represented the vessel as a port and general sales agent. It handled all itinerary adjustments, local ticket sales, port management services, etc. The company currently represents in Trinidad and Tobago some of the world's largest cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, NCL-Norwegian and their subsidiaries/brands) and also operates as a tour travel agency.