Orient Queen
On 17 July 2006 the United States contracted a commercial ship to assist in a possible mass evacuation of Americans from Lebanon. The cruise ship Orient Queen was expected to arrive in the area of operations sometime on 18 July 2006. The ship can accommodate hundreds of passengers and may be used to ferry US evacuees from the port of Beirut to the island of Cyprus. The US Navy destroyer USS Gonzalez was tasked to escort the Orient Queen as a force-protection measure.
The Orient Queen of Abou Merhi Cruises is a cruise ship homeported in Beirut, Lebanon. When in port, she is open daily 24 hours. Orient Queen offers guests a variety of attractions, including cultural entertainment, gourmet cuisine, sports facilities, duty-free shopping and a complete spa. The casino features thirty-seven slots and two table games. Almost 40 years old, this ship is aimed at the Middle Eastern market.
The ship was built in 1968 by A.G. Weser, of Bremerhaven, Germany, as the Starward, for the Kloster subsidiary NCL (Norwegian Caribbean Line, later Norwegian Cruise Line). She operated out of Miami, on seven day cruises to the Caribbean islands. She originally had a stern car door and garage space to take trailers, particularly to Jamaica. This space was later converted to cabins. She is a sister to Skyward (later Leisure World). Starward was sold to Festival Cruises in 1994, their second ship, becoming the Bolero. In 2000, Bolero was chartered to First Choice Cruises, followed by charters to other travel companies.
Following the collapse of Festival Cruises in May of 2004, Bolero became the Orient Queen of Orient Queen Shipping. Orient Queen was handed over to her new owners, Abou Merhi Cruise Lines of Beirut, at Gibraltar in November 2004. She was then took a single voyage to Beirut where she underwent extensive major renovations. The passenger-space ratio was limited and the ship was in need of updating. She was not a bad ship to begin with, and is fully air conditioned. The Orient Queen was renovated in 2005, and her owners dumped quite a lot of money into her [$10 million by one estimate]. The new owners refurbished the vessel from bow to stern. They added a helicopter pad on its bow, so there were changes to the exterior. She was subsequently dry-docked in Piraeus in April 2005. Oesterreichischer Lloyd Ship Management (Cyprus) Ltd has the contract for the technical management of its first passenger vessel, the Orient Queen). The vessel is registered in Panama and classed by Det Norske Veritas.
A 12-deck five-star luxury cruise ship, Orient Queen is among the best that the maritime world has to offer. The vessel has 336 staterooms and 56 suites. The vessel is fitted with 2 MAN type engines and 6 Bergen auxiliary engines. The Orient Queen is 525 feet long, and has a gross tonnage of 15,781.
By comparison, the Titanic was 883 feet long, 93 feet wide, and a gross tonnage of 45,000 tons. Titanic boasted a squash court, swimming pool, and a gymnasium with a mechanical horse. The Titanic could hold 3,500 passengers and crew members but carried life boats for just over 1,000.
Abou Merhi Cruises, the leading cruise operator in the Middle East, announced 30 October 2005, the first visit of the Orient Queen to t Mina Sulman, Bahrain. From Dubai, the service covers Bahrain and Qatar on a 4-nights cruise and Oman on a 3-nights cruise. Two round trips per week will be conducted between Dubai and Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. The Orient Queen cruise ship will be operating out of the Dubai Cruise Terminal. Orient Queen will be based out of Dubai for six months of the year, and Beirut for the remaining six months. The Lebanon-based Abou Merhi Cruises formed a strategic partnership with Alpha Tours Dubai, an award-winning destination management company, for the cruise line service.
Abou Merhi Cruises repositioned the Orient Queen back to Beirut after an unsuccessfull Arabian Gulf cruise program launched in November 2005. The Dubai cruises were not successful, so there will not be a repeat of them. The Orient Queen started her 2006 Med cruise season in March.
Lebanese men born between 1974 & 1986 (included) who have done their military service must show at the airport their original military card. Lebanese men born between 1974 & 1986 (included) who have had a postponement of their military service should show at the airport their original military book which must be valid for more than one month from departure day. Those born in 1974, 75 & 76 should also have a travel permit. Above information is given on a general basis. Each young man should check for his own formalities with the ministry of defense.
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