MARCO POLO em Lisboa mais uma vez

É um dos últimos grandes navios de passageiros da década de 1960 ainda em actividade: o paquete MARCO POLO, antigo ALEKSANDR PUSHKIN, que fez uma curta escala em Lisboa na manhã de 15 de Outubro de 2017, conforme as imagens, registadas à chegada, com luz pouco amigável, mas a retratar bem a personalidade do navio, que continua popular, apesar da idade e de já ter sido anunciada a sua próxima retirada de serviço em 2018.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho, se descarregar imagens para uso pessoal sugere-se que contribua para a manutenção deste espaço fazendo um donativo via Paypal, sugerindo-se €1,00 por imagem retirada. Utilização comercial ou para fins lucrativos não permitida (ver coluna ao lado) / No piracy, please. If photos are downloaded for personal use we suggest that a small contribution via Paypal (€1,00 per image or more). Photos downloaded for commercial or other profit making uses are not allowed. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

 

MARCO POLO in Madeira

Cruise ship MARCO POLO the former ALEXANDR PUSHKIN of 1965 and one of the few remaining survivors of the once vast Soviet passenger ship fleet. Photographs by Luis Miguel Correia taken in Madeira Island (Funchal) on 31 December 2014.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

De Alexandre a Marco 50 anos depois

Capa do plano de acomodações do paquete soviético ALEXANDR PUSHKIN de 1965 editado pela Baltic Steamship Company de Leninegrado

Uma das vantagens de ter começado a gostar de navios muito cedo traduziu-se, com os anos, no facto de hoje os conhecer do avesso, caso deste Alexandre que um dia se passou a chamar Marco, não Paulo em homenagem ao artista cantor, simplesmente MARCO POLO. Nos meus tempos de escola, quando o mestre ou a mestra, (que também as havia) não me conseguia prender a atenção numa aula, pegava num postal dos correios e escrevia para uma companhia de navegação a pedir postais, fotografias, brochuras e demais informações e publicidade que tivessem disponíveis. Muitas vezes respondiam e fui colecionando muito material, como este plano de acomodações do ALEXANDR PUSKIN, construído em 1965 na RDA e que passou a visitar o Tejo com frequência, numa época em que a frota de paquetes da URSS tinha dezenas de navios.

O ALEXANDR PUSHKIN foi o segundo de cinco gémeos de 20 000 TAB e capacidade para 750 passageiros, construidos de 1964 a 1973 e hoje é o único sobrevivente da classe IVAN FRANKO. Faz 50 anos este ano e continua a navegar ao serviç da companhia Cruise & Maritime Voyages, passando por Lisboa diversas vezes todos os anos.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

FUNCHAL ao largo na baía do Funchal

Paquete FUNCHAL fundeado ao largo, na baía do Funchal, na tarde de 31 de Dezembro de 2014, vendo-se em primeiro plano uma espécie de OVNI marítimo, neste caso específico identificado como uma lancha do paquete grego (registo Bahamas) MARCO POLO e em segundo plano, a draga de areias PORTO NOVO, de bordo da qual foi lançado algum fogo de artifício às 24H00.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

MARCO POLO in Madeira

The cruise ship MARCO POLO arriving at the bay of Funchal on 31 December 2014 for the New Year's fireworks.
The MARCO POLO turns 50 year old in 2015. She was built in the East Germany yards in Rostock as the second of the five ships of the IVAN FRANKO-class, and sailed for many years as ALEXANDR PUSHKIN. She is now the largest survivor of the former URSS passenger ship fleet and looks impressive.
A pity that CMV funnel markings are so dull, this fine ship deserves a more atractive funnel colour.
Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

MARCO POLO sailing from Funchal

The MARCO POLO ex ALEXANDR PUSHKIN leaving Funchal on 10 January 2013. 

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

MARCO POLO

Details of MARCO POLO photographed at Funchal, Madeira on 10 January 2013. She was about to sail for Cape Verde.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

MARCO POLO in Funchal

On 10th January 2013 there were three cruise ships visiting Funchal in Madeira island: the MARCO POLO, the SAGA SAPPHIRE and the BRAEMAR.

MARCO POLO is the older of the three, she started her seafaring life under the Soviet Union merchant fleet as their ALEXANDR PUSHKIN, the second of the five IVAN FRANKO class passenger ships builr in Rostock in 1964 to 1972, also known as the Poets class.

The Pushkin was introduced in 1965 and is the only survivor of that interesting class of passenger liner, although she has been much rebuilt, in Greece for Orient Lines.

MARCO POLO is a nice ship, one of the now very few survivors of the 1960s passenger ships. Although nice she lost her original elegance, the blue and white unimaginative livery foes nothing to make her look classic and elegant.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

Navios em porto

Gosto de registar estes momentos em que os navios se cruzam e emprestam a sua imagem ao porto e à cidade de Lisboa, como aconteceu na manhã de 13 de Outubro de 2011 com o paquete grego de bandeira das Bahamas a passar ao lado do navio italiano COSTA LUMINOSA.

Dois conceitos de navios em contraste total, um de 1965 ou outro contemporâneo.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

MARCO POLO sailing from Lisbon

MARCO POLO left Lisbon at 04.00 PM on 24 December after a full day visit berthed i Lisbon and the liht was quite good for another series of photographs.

A beautiful ship although I think she looked better in her original livery as the Soviet ALEXANDR PUSHKIN. Anyway, still a beautiful and interesting ship with classic lines. She would look much better with a colouful funnel, either painted in red or buff...

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

Christmas Cruising in Lisbon

Lisbon cruise terminals of Santa Apolónia and Alcântara were busy places in Lisbon this past 24 December 2011: three ships and about 5.000 cruise passengers graced  the port and the city and Lisbon provided a fantastic weather and certainly plenty of good memories for those looking into Christmas onboard ships...

QUEEN ELIZABETH and OCEANA, both Carnival UK branded in Cunard and P&O colours and registered in Bermuda to honnour Lady Hamilton, and MARCO POLO, the former ALEXANDR PUSHKIN of Soviet fame were the ships calling on the final gathering of pax ships in the river Tagus this year. Two other beauties were also in port, the FUNCHAL and the PRINCESS DANAE, both undergoing refits...

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

Lisbon cruise shipping

Lisbon cruise shipping scene on 8 November 2011: another busy day at the Santa Apolónia Cruise Terminal, in Lisbon, with the early morning arrival of EMPRESS and MARCO POLO joining PRINCESS DANAE which arrived on 5 November from Marseilles for a period of dry dock and technical maintenance prior to the start of another season of world cruising on 29 December with a New Year's cruise from Lisbon to Madeira, the Canary Islands and Morroco.

EMPRESS arrived at the end of another 5-day cruise based in Lisbon and calling in Portimão, Malaga and Tangiers.

MARCO POLO arrived from Funchal, Madeira with British passengers and I was able to photograph her from onboard the EMPRESS. 

MARCO POLO is a classic beauty built in 1965 in East Germany as the Soviet liner ALEXANDR PUSHKIN. As such she is an old friend and I did photograph her on many calls in her original livery and name back in the 1970s and 1980s, before the mighty Soviet passenger ship fleet vanished in the 1990s.

The new Santa Apolónia passenger ship terminal is very convenient and can dock up to five ships depending on their sizes, in the hearth of old Lisbon just across Alfama. Although the day has been rainy and dull, in the morning there was some dramatic sun light as seen on the EMPRESS deck photo... 

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia 

MARCO POLO

Esteve mais uma vez no Tejo, a 13 de Outubro de 2011, o paquete MARCO POLO, o maior dos sobreviventes da antiga frota de navios de passageiros soviéticos, para quem foi construído em 1965 com o nome ALEXANDR PUSHKIN na Alemanha Oriental.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

MARCO POLO in Lisbon

The MARCO POLO leaving Lisbon on 29 January 2010 on her first cruise for new operator Cruise Maritime Voyages.

She is now the largest former Soviet cruise ship still in active service as she was built in 1965 for the Baltic Shipping Company as ALEXANDR PUSHKIN.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

MARCO POLO new funnel livery

The cruise ship MARCO POLO called in Lisbon on 29 January 2010 on her first cruise under new Cruise and Maritime Voyages funnel markings as can be seen in the photos.

With the sale of most of the remaining classic passenger ships of the 1950s and 1960s, MARCO POLO is now a very special survivor. She was built in 1965 as the Soviet liner ALEXANDR PUSHKIN, the second of the five IVAN FRANKO-class sisters, and with the recent demise of the ex-URSS flagship MAXIM GORKIY, she is now the largest former Russian liner still in active service. As such she would deserve a more imaginatively designed livery. Not another white funnel wirh another meaningless logo. Even the blue band on the hull from the previous German cherterer is still in use. Imagine how nice she would look with a more simple and colourful funnel colour, something in the same style as SAGA or P&O are using. What about a red funnel with black or dark blue top? She deserves a better image...

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia