Nearly a month since she reached Malta in tow and she is still moored at the former Malta Shipbuilding Co.Ltd dock awaiting for this conversion (???) to be completed.She looks to be permanent feature at Marsa!

Thanks Clive that photo by Ivan.T in Croatia answers my query.Now I wonder what will be stored in there,most likely speedboats and other luxurious marine toys.!

Emmanuel, just click on 'More of This Ship' for the answer to your question.

Hi friends ,I am still awaiting for someone to furnish more information on the opening/ramp at the stern of this vessel.Does it hinges up or down?

Thanks Doc for the wealth of information you have provided on this (jinxed??) ship.Hope that she will eventually get to be finished.

Nice photo...but somehow I get the feeling that this ship will never amount to a great success. Maybe it's down to too many chefs spoiling the broth or whatever..I can just see this ship having too many Gremlins..The kindest thing would be to scrap it. And also judging by the stop start nature of the conversion, it would stand to reason that some businesses/people have already lost a small fortune on her already.
It reminds me of Onassis Yacht in a way. And I hear somebody bought that ship during the asset boom post 2002 and then lost huge sums during the bank crash of 2007 onwards.

This vessel was originally the fifth of 6 sisters built for the Soviet Ministry of Gas Industry just around the time of the collapse of the USSR. She was launched 11 November 1989 and delivered as Vladimir Chivilikin in April 1990. She was immediately transferred to the fishing organisation 'Dalryba' and in 1992 to the j/s Co. Vladivostok Base of Trawling & Refrigerating Fleet. In 1998 she was sold to Falklands Investments Ltd, renamed Kay with the intention of converting her to a luxury passenger vessel. A year later she was sold to Pacific Seaways S.A. and in 2001 arrived at Keppel's Singapore for conversion work to begin. In 2005 her management transferred to Care Offshore S.A.. Some work was carried out at Keppels, including the new stern. In 2007 she arrived ar Arista Nautica, Split ostensibly for completion but was laid up at Vranic. In March 2011 she departed for Brodotrogir again, for completion, but little was done. Now over 2 and a half years later she has arrived at Malta, again ostensibly, for completion.

Other sisters have also been converted, #4 Yuriy Trifonov was converted in 1997 at Gdańska Stocznia Remontowa to a diving mother ship and renamed Seaway Kingfisher. In 2004 renamed Kingfisher with further modification at Eidsvik and she is now described as a seismic research ship.

# 3 Mariya Tsvyetayeva was converted to an expedition cruise ship and in 2011 sold to Ortelius Scheepsreizen of Belgium and renamed Ortelius.

The other three, #1 Anna Akhmatova, #2 Boris Pasternak and #6 Igor Farkhutdinov ex Neva - 96, Admiral Lazarev - 03 are still operating as passenger vessels for Russian owners.

I wait with interest to see if Kay is ever completed.

Allan

She must almost hold the record for the longest voyage for an unfinished ship, both in time and distance, since I saw her in Bangkok seven years ago.

I have just received info that she will eventually to be completed by Bezzina Shipyard but after a court injunction is resolved.According to these sources she is riding high because her engine(s) have been taken out.

I remember when she arrived in Split on very windy and cold morning on 03.11.2007.How much has been done since?It will cost fortune to get her finished.

I don't think that if her conversion/upgrade if there is one will be at Palumbo.She has been berthed further in the harbour near the other shipyards those of Cassar and the other of Bezzina.

Since she had been at Split for a very-very long time,, I am very much surprised,, or maybe I'm not,, to see her arriving to Malta.
I guess,, and it is most probable,, that she will complete her conversion/upgrade at Palumbo shipyard Malta.
Let's wait and see .................
Brgds (J)

Thanks Jadran,hope she is not on her way to the breakers.
Have you any other info on her?