Marco Polo

The Marco Polo was built in 1961 by Society Espanda de Construcion Naval in Bilbao, Spain as the Princesa Isabel for South American service. After being found unsuitable for her original route, she was extensively modified on the Clyde and renamed Marco Polo, sharing her name with a former 12,000-ton Italian Adriatica Line vessel that operated before World War II.

Pacific Cruise Service (1970-1978)

The vessel commenced her new career with an inaugural voyage from Scotland to Melbourne on June 26, 1970. For eight years, she earned a strong reputation among Australian and New Zealand travelers while operating Pacific and Orient cruises. During this period, she notably called at Shanghai, China in 1977.

Asian Operations (1978-onwards)

In 1978, the vessel was sold to a Greek-owned Hong Kong company. Her final voyage under the name Marco Polo proved nearly disastrous when she encountered a five-day typhoon that caused serious injury to passengers and significant damage to the ship. After repairs, she was renamed Aquamarine and received a renovation before competing with her sister ship Princesa Leopoldina in the cruise trade for China Navigation.

The Aquamarine operated cruises between Hong Kong, China, and Japan, participating in various Australian and American Fly/Cruise ventures throughout the 1980s. Her career was interrupted when she was "arrested" in Hong Kong following the failure of Aquamarine International's operations. After extended legal proceedings, she was ultimately acquired by the Greek Commercial Bank of Athens.

Key Facts

Specification	Details
Built	1961-1962
Builder	Society Espanda de Construcion Naval, Bilbao
Gross Tonnage	9,232
Length	478 ft (147.7m)
Beam	61 ft (18.5m)
Draught	18 ft (5.5m)
Propulsion	Burmeister & Wain diesels (8000 BHP), twin screws
Speed	17 knots
Passenger Capacity	375 (one class)
Crew	280
Passenger Decks	Five