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The Ocean Diamond is finishing its fiftieth anniversary this 12 months. Initially constructed as a ro-ro service, the expedition ship was launched in 1973 because the Begonia.
After over a decade in service for its authentic house owners, the vessel was offered within the mid-Nineteen Eighties. A number of years later, in a significant reconstruction mission, the ship emerged as a full-time cruise ship, the Explorer Starship.
After being offered once more in 1989, the vessel was renamed Tune of Flower, becoming a member of the fleet of the U.S.-based cruise line Radisson Seven Seas Cruises.
The corporate, which might later rebrand as Regent Seven Seas Cruises, saved the vessel in its fleet via 2004 earlier than promoting it to French house owners.
Renamed Le Diamant, the 8,282-ton ship was acquired by Ponant for a sequence of itineraries throughout Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and South America.
Below administration of the French band, the vessel was additionally transformed supply expedition cruises in polar areas, debuting in Antarctica in 2005.
After being changed by a newbuild in 2010, the Diamant left the Ponant fleet, turning into a full-time expedition ship quickly after.
Now underneath SunStone Ships, the vessel was renamed Ocean Diamond and spent the final decade providing exploration cruises in Antarctica, the Arctic and Iceland.
Working underneath constitution contracts, the 189-guest expedition ship sailed for various manufacturers, together with Quark Expeditions and Iceland ProCruises.
Presently laid-up in South America, the Ocean Diamond was returned to its house owners after finishing the 2022-23 season in Antarctica.
In line with SunStone Ships’ web site, the vessel is now accessible for all-year charters beginning in Might 2023.
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