Fred Olsen retires cruise liner

When the Black Prince arrives in Southampton tomorrow, it will be her last trip to Britain as part of the Fred Olsen line. The last few passengers will disembark and she will conduct a farewell lunch for the many travel agents who have booked passengers onto her over the many years she has been in service with the cruise line.

Then she’ll sail to Venezuela for a minor refit and a renaming – she’ll be sailing in Venezuelan waters under the name Ola Esmeralda. Fred Olsen has sailed the ship for thirteen years since 1996 and before that she was a Canary Islands cargo and passenger vessel, so she’s had a good run already – but because it would be too expensive to refit her to meet the new Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) legislation, she’s been retired by Fred Olsen.

The Fred Olsen line has a pretty long history itself. It was formed in Norway in 1848 when the three Olsen brothers: Fredrik Christian, Petter and Andreas, launched what was to become an international shipping line. The fifth generation of the family is still involved in the company, and the headquarters of the firm remain in Oslo, although the Fred Olsen Cruise Lines is based in Ipswich in Suffolk.