LE DIAMANT

8,282 gt; 3,433 dwt; 265 passengers.
Operator: CMA CGM SA (The French Line), Marseille, France. Flag: Bahamas.
Built: 1974 by Kristiansands M/V A/S, Kristiansand, Norway. Yard no: 220. LR/IMO no: 7325629.
Propulsion: twin-screw, diesel-electric with 2 x vee-10-cylinder, four-stroke Wärtsilä-Wichmann 10V288 of 7,476 bhp (total) at 600 rpm. Speed: 15 knots.
Built for NV Stoomvaart Maatschappij Oostzee (Curacao), Willemstad as 12-passenger ro-ro cargo ship BEGONIA (Netherlands Antilles flag).
1985-sold along with sister vessel FERNBAY to Fearnley & Eger, Oslo, Norway, renamed FERNHILL, then sent to Lloyd Werft, Bremerhaven for conversion to cruise ship EXPLORER STARSHIP.
The conversion of the sister vessel was cancelled.
1989-sold to Skaugen Marine AS, Oslo, Norway, renamed SONG OF FLOWER.
2003-sold to Compagnie Des Iles Du Diamant (CMA CGM), France, renamed LE DIAMANT.
2011-(December) laid up in Tilbury Dock, London.
2012-(April 7th) to refit at Gdansk, Poland.
Her as-built sister vessel was also to be similarly converted but the deal fell through. To see how LE DIAMANT looked originally see: http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/325772/title/roro-g/cat/528