A 40-year-old German cruise veteran is given the chance of a second life in China. It is the former ZDF dream ship “Berlin”.
The “Berlin” was built in the early 1980s at the HDW shipyard in Kiel for the German shipping company Peter Deilmann and was decommissioned during the coronavirus pandemic. From 1986 to 1998, the ship served as the backdrop for the popular ZDF television series “Das Traumschiff”. The ship’s service for the Peter Deilmann shipping company ended at the end of 2004.
After the ship was relaunched in Greece under the new name “Dream Goddess”, there was long speculation about its future use. However, the most likely scenario was that this cruise ship, which was only 139.3 m long and could accommodate 420 passengers, would end up in a scrapyard.
But now the new owner, the Berlin Capital Group (BCG), is planning something extravagant with the ship. Since last fall, it is to be converted into a luxury cruise ship in Ningde, China, and then stationed in Penang (Malaysia). From there, the former “Berlin” will set off on short regional cruises to Southeast Asian ports.
The new owner is already posting video footage of the conversion work on social media channels. The new name being discussed is “Berlin Oceanis”.
BCG acquired the ship last year from Dreamliner Cruises, a subsidiary of the holding company Royalton Investments. Until September 2020, it belonged to the German tour operator FTI Cruises. (CE)
