UK cruise ship Saga Ruby calls at St. Petersburg passenger port (photo)
The M/V Saga Ruby, a cruise liner owned by UK-based Saga Cruises moored on July 31, 2013 at Pier No 3 of Passenger Port of St. Petersburg “Marine Façade,” the port authority said in a press release. The cruise ship delivered to St. Petersburg 460 British tourists.
This is reportedly the last cruising season for the liner that has served for more than forty years. On December 7, 2013 the M/V Saga Ruby set out on her month's farewell voyage from Southampton to the islands in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas.
The ship was built in 1972 at Swan Hunter Shipbuilders and features classical design of the 1970s. The cruise ship was christened as Vistafjord and was operated by Norwegian America Line on Trans-Atlantic routes from Norway to the United States and on the Bahamas cruise lines. The ship was considered to be one of the world’s most comfortable cruise vessels at the time.
In 1983, the owner, along with its entire fleet became part of the British cruise operator Cunard Line. The liner was renamed RMS Caronia and worked until 2004.
Then the ship was sold to Saga Cruises and after retrofitting at Valletta shipyard was given its present name.
The M/V Saga Ruby will make two more calls at the St. before closing the season.
JSC Passenger Port of St. Petersburg "Marine Façade" is in the ownership of the city of St. Petersburg and is the largest passenger seaport in Russia. Construction of Marine Façade began in 2006. The passenger terminal can accommodate 330m-long, 8.8m-draft cruise and ferry ships. After dredging the length and depth of new access channels became 10 km and 11 m, accordingly. The port operates seven piers. The quay wall total length is nearly 2,2 km.