BOUDICCA

As a replacement for BLACK PRINCE, Fred Olsen's much-loved veteran that was withdrawn last year, the company placed this ship on a similar itinerary of cruises including three from Greenock this summer. BOUDICCA was built in 1973 as ROYAL VIKING SKY for Royal Viking Line, one of three sisters which were all ordered from the Wartsila shipyard at Helsinki. Each was lengthened in Germany by 28 metres in 1981/83 and each vessel, surprising, is still in service today. Two, in fact, are both in the Fred Olsen fleet, her sister BLACK WATCH having started life as ROYAL VIKING STAR. BOUDICCA, which has a gross tonnage of 28,372 tons and an overall length of 207 metres, can accommodate up to 900 passengers. She was setting off on a cruise to the Canary Isles, calling at Leixoes, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, Madeira and Vigo before returning to Greenock.