It is official: the former 47,000-ton Horizon is being scrapped in Turkey’s Aliaga.
After two years of languishing in Greece, the vessel departed from Elefsis Bay for the scrap yard last week.
Out of service since 2020, the 1990 vessel will be dismantled with some other classic cruise vessels at the Turkish recycling facility.
During the procedure, the vessel’s fixtures, systems, building materials, and engines will be removed and sold off for reusing or repurposing.
After debuting in the New York-Bermuda route, the 1,450-guest vessel reportedly served the upscale brand in multiple destinations, including Alaska, Canada, and the Caribbean.
Before quitting the firm’s fleet, the Horizon became the first Celebrity vessel homeported in Norfolk and Philadelphia.
Transferred to Island Cruises in 2005, the ship became the Island Star.
Collaboration between First Choice Holidays and Royal Caribbean focused on the UK family market in the summers while targeting Brazil’s younger audiences, especially in winter.
The vessel was transferred three years later to the final operator, Pullmantur Cruceros. The latter is also a Royal Caribbean brand; the Spanish firm used the ship for itineraries in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe.
During its career with Pullmantur that spanned 12 years, the Horizon sailed for Croisières De France – the firm’s French brand.
With the ongoing pandemic bringing the cruise fleet to an unforeseen stop in 2020, the Horizon sailed its last cruise in 2020 (March).
A few weeks later, the ship was used to repatriate the crew members of Pullmantur before reaching Greece’s Elefsis Bay – where it stayed for the last two years.
In 2020 (July), after Pullmantur reportedly filed for insolvency, the vessel was returned to the Royal Caribbean Group with fleet mates Sovereign and Monarch, which were beached for scrapping immediately.
References: Cruise Industry News, Cruise Hive
