Princess Danae

Image: AI-generated.

History

The Princess Danae sailed for Classic International Cruises. In January 2013, she was sold, along with Arion, Athena and Funchal, to Portuguese entrepreneur Rui Alegre. He intended to resume cruise operations through his newly founded company, Portuscale Cruises. The Princess Danae was later renamed Lisboa.Refit and planned relaunch

Built in 1955, the ship was converted into a cruise ship in 1977. Portuscale planned a major modernization for the French market. In November 2013, a shipyard period began in

, during which public areas and parts of the cabins were to be refurbished, along with technical work. According to reports at the time, around 500 tonnes of steel had to be replaced, and piping and electrical systems renewed. Exhaust gas cleaning systems were also to be installed to comply with the sulphur limits that came into force in 2015.The work proved more extensive than expected. In January 2014, Portuscale suspended its renovation and cruise plans; the voyages scheduled for 2014 were cancelled. The owner cited the ship’s technical condition and additional, previously undocumented defects as the reason. The Lisboa phase therefore represents a planned relaunch that foundered on the cost and scale of the necessary work.