Once destined to each hold 9,000 seaward travelers, Global Dream II and its sister ship, Global Dream, would together have been the top record-holders for largest cruise ship by passenger capacity, and sixth in the world by size.
But those dreams were shattered when German shipbuilder MV Werften filed for bankruptcy back in January of this year, and lacking the funds to finish the colossal cruiseliner themselves, the company sought a buyer for the hulking vessel.
Alas, there were no takers, and now the company is forced to throw the boat out with the bathwater. MV Werften reportedly sold its facilities to a German naval unit, which according to Guardian will now use the establishment to build military ships — but unfortunately, since Global Dreams II isn't outfitted for war, the 260,000 ton boat will be removed from the marina and sold as scrap metal.
Comment: Evidently one of the few remaining places to make a profit is in war.
Ghost Ships
Looming in the background of the story is that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a serious toll on the cruise market.
Comment: And Western economies are teetering on the edge of collapse.
Once a popular vacation of choice for those seeking open seas and all-you-can-eat buffets, the passenger ships became nightmare central during the initial waves of the pandemic, and have since had to juggle a number of coronavirus-related restrictions, shutdowns, and staffing shortages. Stocks continue to fall, and companies — like MV Werften — are struggling to get cruise enthusiasts back onboard.
If there is a silver lining for the industry to hang onto, Global Dream I is reportedly safe from the scrapyard. For now.
Reader Comments
What left the most lasting impression though was the intense caste system that existed within the crew. When we would come to port sometimes there would be a norovirus warning or something similar. ALL crew would lose their ability to leave the ship except for those from 'Western' countries - Norway, Canada, U.S., UK.....would always be let off despite the medical warning. Those from Philippines, Tobago, Jamaica etc., would not be allowed off. This caused a fair amount of annoyance towards the very few of us who had the Western passports. 98% of the crew was not carrying one of the lucky passports. this happened on the regular.
Boy, if the passengers up top were to see the living conditions of those serving them....good times.
The best was twice a week I was forced to report to a theater somewhere on the ship. I would wait for a cruiseship director of some sort to appear, whereby they would usher me and whomever else had to show up towards a door. Then they would group us together, explain that we HAD to wear a HUGE smile on our faces, throw our hands high into the air, and once the director opened the door we'd gathered near, we would be thrust right into a huge parade the ship was throwing for the guests. I personally didn't care much for the job. So as the director would fling the door open, we'd burst out and join the contrived parade. I would scream obscenities at times and flail my hands in the air. It was madness, couldn't make sense of anything, I might not even know where on the ship i was. Crew regularly was staged in this fashion to look like it was THE place to be, on the ocean, in a tube, with loads of others.
I don’t want to go the way of the Estonia.
You’d be hard pressed to get me on a lilo, let alone a ship.