MS Jupiter

This article is about the ferry. For other ships, see MV Jupiter.

The MS Jupiter was a cruiseferry owned and operated by Vietnamese Jupiter Cruises. The vessel operated cruises between Sihanoukville and the island of Phú Quốc. It sank November 2017 with 2 deaths, having been moored since 2010.

MS Jupiter as MS Wellamo
History
Name	1974–1981: Wellamo 1981–1984: Dana Gloria 1984–1985: Svea Corona 1985–1989: Dana Gloria 1989–1994: King of Scandinavia 1994–1998: Color Viking 1998–2017: Jupiter
Operator	1974–1981: Silja Line 1981–1984: DFDS Seaways 1984–1985: FÅA / Silja Line 1985–1994: DFDS Seaways 1994–1998: Color Line 1998–2005: Fjord Line 2006–2007: Statoil 2007–2017: Jupiter Cruises
Port of registry	1974–1981: Helsingfors 1981–1989: Esbjerg 1989-1994: Copenhagen 1994–2005: Bergen 2006–2007: Tromsø 2007–2017: Panama
Builder	Dubegion-Normandie S.A. Nantes
Yard number	142
Launched	15 September 1974
Completed	1974
Maiden voyage	1974
In service	1974
Out of service	2017
Identification	IMO number: 7360186
Fate	Sank on 4 November 2017.
General characteristics (after 1988 rebuild)
Tonnage	20,581 GT
Length	153.30 m (502 ft 11 in)
Beam	22.04 m (72 ft 4 in)
Draught	5.86 m (19 ft 3 in)
Installed power	4 x Pielstick 12 PC2-2V-400 diesels
Propulsion	2 × Controllable pitch propellors 2 × Bow thrusters
Capacity	1,300 passengers 320 cars

History

Wellamo

Jupiter was built at the Dubegion-Normandie shipyard in Nantes in 1974 for FÅA / Silja Line. The vessel entered service between Helsinki and Stockholm in July 1975 as the Wellamo.

In 1981 the super ferries Silvia Regina and Finlandia entered service on the Helsinki – Stockholm route. The Wellamo was no longer required and was sold to DFDS. The vessel was renamed Dana Gloria and placed on the Esbjerg – Newcastle route.

King of Scandinavia in 1993

Between 1984 and 1985 the Dana Gloria was chartered back to Silja Line. She was renamed Svea Corona and placed on the Stockholm – Mariehamn – Turku route. At the end of the charter the vessel returned to her previous name of Dana Gloria operating on the Copenhagen – Oslo route until the winter of 1988/89 when the vessel was stretched by 22.3 meters by Meyer Werft in Papenburg. She emerged from rebuilding as the King of Scandinavia.

In 1994 the King of Scandinavia was replaced on the Copenhagen – Oslo route by the Crown of Scandinavia. The King of Scandinavia was immediately purchased by Color Line, renamed Color Viking and entered service on the Bergen – Haugesund – Stavanger – Newcastle route.

In 1998 Color Line sold Color Viking and the Norway – UK route to Norwegian ferry operator Fjord Line. The vessel was renamed Jupiter. She operated the route until November 2005, being replaced by the larger Fjord Norway.

MS Jupiter at Melkøya, 2006.

Between February 2006 and February 2007 the Jupiter was chartered to Statoil for use as an accommodation ship at Melkøya Island near Hammerfest.

In April 2007 the ship was sold to Hong Kong based Royal Group. The vessel operated cruises from Sihanoukville in Cambodia to the Vietnamese island of Phú Quốc.

On 4 November 2017, Jupiter sank off Binh Dinh, Vietnam. The vessel had been laid up since 2010 and was in very poor condition. It was unmanned and lacked maintenance. The vessel could no longer sail under its own power and broke its moorings during Typhoon Damrey. Two out of the vessel's seven crewmen died.

Sister ships

The Jupiter was the first of three identical ships built by the Dubegion-Normandie shipyard in the mid 70's.

• Bore Star – Broken up in 2013.
• Svea Corona – Broken up 1995.

External links

• Professional photographs from shipspotting.com
• "MS Jupiter (7360186)". Equasis. Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
• Current position at MarineTraffic