18 October 2014

Similar Sisters



Pacific Venus docked at Darling Harbour, the old terminal for smaller cruise ships.

For two consecutive years, Sydney was visited by the Pacific Venus, a 26,518 ton cruise ship built in 1998 in Japan. Operated by a consortium of 2 ferry companies, the ship runs on a variety of cruises, mainly within South-East Asia and has voyaged as far as Amsterdam. The design is utilitarian with 696 passengers being catered by 180 crew.


Delphin Voyager docked at Circular Quay, Sydney Harbour.
Delphin Voyager bears a striking similarity to the Pacific Venus, this is because the ship started life as the Orient Venus, built in 1990 in the same shipyard and for the same owners as the above ship. Slightly smaller, at 21,906 tons and accommodating 606 passengers, the Orient Venus was sold and refitted in 2006. The observation lounge around the funnel was enlarged and additional passenger accommodation was built into the after decks. The ship currently operates in the Mediterranean as the Aegean Paradise.