The SunStone Ships-controlled cruiseship Ocean Atlantic (built 1986) is being readied for a cruise comeback after several years in static roles.
TradeWinds has learned that the 12,800-gt Ocean Atlantic has been reactivated following a lay-up of around 18-months at the Swedish port of Helsingborg, after serving as wind farm accommodation for service provider Petrofac.
The ship was recently refurbished at a Polish shipyard and is now en route to Spitsbergen to begin operating in the Arctic region for expedition cruise operator Quark Expeditions.
The charter appears to be seasonal, as the ship does not feature on the cruise company’s year-end Antarctic schedules.
SunStone-backed investors acquired the Ocean Atlantic from Russia’s S-Continental Marine in 2012. Its only use since has been for accommodation roles.
The ship is one in a series of seven ropax ferries that were built in Poland for the government of the then Soviet Union. It was later converted into a cruiseship, as were several of its sisterships. One of these, the 12,900-gt Ocean Endeavour (built 1986), is also in the SunStone fleet and chartered to Quark on a seasonal basis. In addition to these two Polish-built sisters, Quark charters three expedition cruiseships from SunStone on long-term and a seasonal basis.
