Finally, Demolition for the Old Astoria
The time has finally come to write the last chapter in the long life of the old cruise ship Astoria, known to all by its original name: Stockholm.
Yes, the very same mixed passenger-cargo ship that, in 1956, rammed and sank our beloved Andrea Doria, pride of the Italian Merchant Navy’s “Renaissance” fleet. Now, Astoria has arrived under tow in Ghent, where it will undergo the complex process of dismantling.
Aastoria
Back in mid-2021, the ship was acquired by The Roundtable, a Puerto Rico-based company founded by American billionaire Brock Pierce—one of the pioneers of cryptocurrency and a former child actor before transitioning into media and politics. The company initially planned to bring the Astoria back into service, but the high costs involved led to the cancellation of the project and the ship was put up for auction again. This past June, Galloo was the only bidder at yet another auction for the aging cruise liner, which, according to Dutch media, was acquired for the bargain price of €200,000. The legal firm Hoek Sinke Ten Katen supervised the auction, held at the Wilhelminaplein court in Rotterdam.
Galloo, a Belgian company based in the port of Ghent, has a long-standing reputation in shipbreaking, decontamination, and recycling of obsolete vessels. Why wasn’t the old Stockholm acquired by the usual voracious shipbreakers in Asia, like those in Alang (India) or Gadani (Pakistan)? Because the Astoria sailed under the Portuguese flag, it was required to be dismantled in an EU-certified recycling facility. The only other serious contender was likely the Turkish yards of Aliağa, which also meet European Union environmental and safety standards. However, the fact that the ship had been laid up for five years, with expired class certificates and inoperative engines, made it necessary to tow it over long distances at high cost—likely deterring the Turkish option.
According to Galloo, more than 12,000 tons of material will be recovered from the ship’s dismantling, including ferrous and non-ferrous metals, wood, glass, and plastic. Over 97% of this material will be recycled into renewable raw materials. Galloo will also have to settle debts owed to the owner of the pier where the ship had been moored—abandoned since 2022, a “rust bucket” left to decay.
de-la-stockholm-a-lastoria-76-ans-dhistoire-navale
Today, it’s worth taking a final look at the career of this vessel, which ends after an impressive 77 years. Built in 1948 in Gothenburg by the Götaverken shipyard, it was originally a modest replacement for the more prestigious Stockholm built by Cantieri Riuniti dell’Adriatico of Monfalcone (now Fincantieri), which was lost during World War II before ever carrying a single paying passenger.
Older generations will surely feel a shiver remembering the greatest tragedy of the Italian Merchant Navy in the post-war period: the sinking of the Andrea Doria, flagship of the Italian Line (Società Italia di Navigazione), off the coast of Nantucket in 1956, following a collision with the Swedish ship. The Stockholm is deeply tied to Italian maritime history, as Andrea Doria’s home port was Genoa and the city was its regular terminus. The ship was also a product of the skilled workers at the Ansaldo shipyard in Sestri Ponente. Ironically, Genoa was also where the old Stockholm underwent a major reconstruction in the early 1990s at the local ship repair yards. During this refit, its superstructure was completely rebuilt, unsightly sponsons were added, and its old engines were replaced. The gross tonnage increased from 12,165 to 16,144 GT. Of course, it also underwent major repairs after the Doria incident, during which it lost its entire bow inside the Italian ship’s hull. Those repairs took place in New York at the Bethlehem Steel Company Shipbuilding Division.
Stockholm (1948–60), Völkerfreundschaft (1960–1985), Volker (1985–1986), Fridtjof Nansen (1986–1993), Italia I (1993–1994), Italia Prima (1994–1998), Valtur Prima (1998–2002), Caribe (2002–2005), Athena (2005–2013), Azores (2013–2016), and finally Astoria—these are the many names carried by the former Swedish ocean liner during its 77-year lifespan.
Stockholm
Stockholm
It’s worth remembering that Astoria had already been auctioned off several times by The Roundtable, but no one had submitted the minimum bid of €10 million—considered far too much for such a small and deteriorated vessel. Out of service for over five years, the 556-passenger ship was last operated by the now-defunct Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV). It was already scheduled to be withdrawn from service by the end of 2020, but the pandemic brought its career to an early close. It’s important to note that the ship was not owned by CMV but was leased, and was already due to return to its owner—a pool of banks—prior to the crisis. During the pandemic, Astoria spent an extended period inactive in the port of Tilbury, UK, before being towed to Rotterdam where it awaited its final fate in cold lay-up—completely unmanned. This lack of maintenance led to further deterioration of the hull and onboard systems. The vessel was also involved in an incident on February 18, 2022, when it broke loose during a storm in Rotterdam and collided (causing serious stern damage) with the container ship Seatrade Orange moored on the opposite quay. After being taken under tow, the ship was returned to its berth, where it remained until being sent to demolition.
With the Astoria now heading for the scrapyard, we close the final chapter in the tragedy of the Andrea Doria, marking the end of the ship that sealed its fate. The 1956 collision, which claimed 51 lives, sparked years of dispute over who was to blame, with responsibilities tossed between Italians and Swedes. Only one man paid the price—heroic Italian Captain Piero Calamai, who, alongside his brave crew, managed to save the vast majority of those aboard the Doria. Only decades later, after scientific studies shed new light on the accident, was fault attributed to the Swedish ship and its officer on watch that night, Carstens Johannssen—who, however, never admitted any guilt. Today, the memory of Captain Calamai has been restored, and he, along with the crew of the Andrea Doria, is honored in Genoa with a staircase in Boccadasse commemorating their heroic efforts to save hundreds of lives.
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