British liner MINERVA heads to Yalta – the first out of 3 Black Sea cruise ports /Maps/ Photos/ Shedule

On April 16, 2013 at about 16:30 MT the British cruise liner MINERVA left Bosporus and entered the Black Sea heading to Yalta.

AIS data and cruise company data have been significantly different when specifying the time of the vessel’s arrival to Yalta. AIS data say the vessel will reach Yalta at 20:00 MT on April 17, while the cruise schedule specifies that the vessel will arrive on April 18 at 07:00 MT.

Cruise liner MINERVA in Yalta 2012-09-19. Photo by Ilya Zhirnov, for BSNews specially

MINERVA: Ship Type: Passengers ship. Year Built: 1996. Length x Breadth: 135 m X 20 m. Gross Tonnage: 12449, DeadWeight: 2004 t. Speed recorded (Max / Average): 11.9 / 11.1 knots. Flag: Bahamas [BS]. Call Sign: C6NP5. IMO: 9144196, MMSI: 309477000. Draught: 6.2 m.

Cruise line: Swan Hellenic
Passanger capasity / Double occupancy/max occupancy: 350 / 350
Crew: 160.

Home port: Nassau
Class society: Registro Italiano Navale
Build year: 1996
Builder: Okean Shipbuilding Yard (Nikolayev, Ukraine).

Cruise liner MINERVA in Odessa 2012-09-21. Photo by Vladimir Trofimov, for BSNews specially

The liner has been outfitted at the Italian Mariotti shipyard based on the incomplete hull of the Soviet research ship, built at the Nikolayev Shipyards “Ocean” in Ukraine.

Cruise liner MINERVA in Sevastopol 2012-09-20. At the left – ferry ADMIRAL ISTOMIN (Ex Norwegian GULLESFJORD). Photo by Alexey Soloviev, BSNews

Cruise Shedule:

Aqaba, Jordan (27.03.2013 (+1) 23:00);
Port Sokhna, Egypt (30.03.2013 06:00-22:00);
Suez Canal (Passage) (31.03.2013 06:00-22:00);
Alexandria, Egypt (01.04.2013 00:00-23:00);
Ashdod, Israel (03.04.2013 07:00-22:00);
Haifa, Israel (04.04.2013 07:00-21:00);
Limassol, Cyprus (05.04.2013 00:00-19:00);
Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey (07.04.2013 08:00-23:00);
Patmos, Greece (08.04.2013 08:00-15:00);
Piraeus (Athens), Greece (09.04.2013 06:00(+2)19:00);
Syros, Greece (12.04.2013 08:00-14:00);
Volos, Greece (13.04.2013 07:30-19:00);
Thessaloniki, Greece (14.04.2013 07:30-19:00);
Mudanya, Turkey (16.04.2013 07:00-14:00);
Yalta, Ukraine (18.04.2013 07:00-19:00);
Sevastopol, Ukraine (19.04.2013 07:00-23:00);
Odessa, Ukraine (20.04.2013 (+1)17:00);
Istanbul, Turkey (23.04.2013 07:00(+2)19:00);
Rhodes, Greece (27.04.2013 08:00-19:00);
Agios Nikolaos, Crete (28.04.2013 08:00-19:00);
Delos, Greece (29.04.2013 09:00-15:00);
Corinth Canal (Cruising Canal) (30.04.2013);
Itea, Greece (01.05.2013 07:00-16:00);
Porto Empedocle, Sicily (03.05.2013 08:00-18:00);
Palermo, Sicily (04.05.2013 08:00-17:00);
Ponza, Italy (05.05.2013 00:00-18:00);
Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy (06.05.2013 07:00 (+1)

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