Solas 2010

[C. Ross]

I read an article today about Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) treaty provisions to become effective in 2010. Reportedly, the treaty would prohibit operation of vessels with wooden superstructures.

I went googling and found references like this one http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=488 listing ships threatened by SOLAS 2010: the Queen Elizabeth II, Regal Empress, Saga Rose, Aegean Two (Ausonia), Dalmacjia, Funchal, Grand Victoria (World Renaissance), Kristina Regina (Bore), Maxim Gorkiy (Hamburg), Oceanic II (Kungsholm), Royal Star (San Giorgio), Serenade (Jean Mermoz), The Emerald (Santa Rosa) and The Topaz (Empress of Britain), the riverboat Delta Queen and charter yacht Sea Cloud.

Apologies if I'm just late to the dance, but is this really a threat to some great old ships?

[MarkC]

I think the Solas regulations really hit about 5 years ago.

I was looking for a job with a German cruise-liner firm, so I read a lot of sea-cruise.net or what-ever the cruising news site was. There they had a full list of the cruise liners and where they were. Many of those who's owners wouldn't pay for the new solas conditions (eg. fire fighting equipment) sold the ships for scrap.

A real pitty because 'most' of these ships scrapped where those better looking asthetically - and we are left with these 'floating barges with balkonies'.

Some tried to save their ships - the american cruise liner the 'America?' (I think it was called) was allowed only to sail in Hawaian waters not more than 200? nautical miles from shore. It was a stunning 1940's 1950's looking ship. I think it only lasted 4 years and then went broke.

[Ian McColgin]

The economics drive many of the older vessels off anyway. Regretably, there's not a similar effective process in the cargo world, where carriers of various sorts move down through ever sleazier ownerships and ever more marginal crews as they become more hazardous with age and neglect.

[Mad Scientist]

Those names bring back some memories...
Maxim Gorky (ex-Maksim Gorkiy, Hanseatic, Hamburg) is the last survivor of the liners that I remember calling at Halifax during the days of ocean liners. That era ended in early 1971, so her last call here would have been in late summer 1970.
QE2's first visit here was in the summer of 1975, while chartered by a fellow named John Shaheen, as part of his plan to build an oil refinery at Come-By-Chance in Newfoundland (not too far from the U.S. base at Argentia).
Re Ian McColgin's comment about aging merchant ships: IIRC, the EU enacted a regulation barring merchant ships older than 20 years of age from entering their waters.
One of my favourite websites - www.maritimematters.com (http://www.maritimematters.com) - has news and photos of passenger ships both old and new. Well worth a visit for those of you who share my interest in liners and cruise ships.

BTW, Hamburg entered service in 1969, and you don't get bonus points for guessing the city where she was built and registered.
BTW2, QE2 is scheduled to retire to Dubai as a floating hotel. There are still some spaces available for at least one last European cruise. Check out the website I mentioned...