Black Watch
Black Watch was a Royal Viking Star-class cruise ship that operated under several names and cruise brands before being sold as an accommodation vessel and beached for scrapping in India in 2022.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Black Watch was the final operating name of a cruise ship originally built as Royal Viking Star for Royal Viking Line. Constructed by Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, the vessel was launched in 1971 and entered passenger service in June 1972 as the first ship of the newly established Royal Viking Line. The line had been created as a joint venture involving American businessman Warren Titus and three Norwegian shipping companies, including Kloster Cruises, with the aim of developing an internationally oriented luxury-cruise business distinct from the mass-market Caribbean focus of many competitors. Royal Viking Star was one of three purpose-built Star-class ships ordered for the new line. Together with Royal Viking Sky and Royal Viking Sea, it helped establish Royal Viking Line as a premium operator. The ships were known for their comparatively spacious layouts, refined interiors, and worldwide itineraries. Contemporary assessments placed the Royal Viking vessels among the most luxurious cruise ships of their era. In 1981, Royal Viking Star was lengthened by approximately 27.77 metres at Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven, Germany, extending the ship's useful life and passenger capacity. The economics of operating a small fleet of luxury ships became increasingly difficult during the 1980s. Royal Viking Line was acquired by Kloster Cruises in 1984, although the business initially continued to operate separately from Norwegian Cruise Line, another company associated with the Kloster group. In April 1991, Royal Viking Star was transferred to Norwegian Cruise Line and renamed Westward. In that role, it operated itineraries from New York to Bermuda and the Caribbean. In April 1994, the ship moved to Royal Cruise Line, an NCL subsidiary, and was renamed Star Odyssey. It was used primarily on Mediterranean cruises and operated alongside its sister ship Royal Viking Sea, then known as Royal Odyssey. The Star Odyssey period was relatively brief. Financial difficulties at Norwegian Cruise Line in the mid-1990s led to asset sales, and the vessel was sold to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines in October 1996. Fred. Olsen renamed the ship Black Watch, a traditional name in its fleet. It entered service under that name on 15 November 1996 and continued as a smaller, classic-style cruise ship. Its later career included technical and refurbishment work: after engine trouble near Marmaris, Turkey, in February 1997, it spent about two weeks in Valletta, Malta, for repairs. In 2005, the vessel underwent a substantial maintenance period at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, where its engines were upgraded and passenger interiors refurbished. The ship also experienced several public-health incidents. A Legionnaires' disease outbreak was reported in July 2007, affecting multiple passengers. In September 2013, a norovirus outbreak during a Scandinavian cruise affected approximately 130 passengers and crew. During the COVID-19 pandemic, eight crew members tested positive while Black Watch was moored in the Firth of Forth on 13 April 2020. On 21 August 2020, Fred. Olsen announced that Black Watch and its sister ship Boudicca had been sold for use as accommodation ships for workers. This ended Black Watch's career as a conventional cruise ship. The vessel was later renamed Odin. In 2022, a dispute arose over the intended end-of-life treatment of the ship. Fred. Olsen sought to prevent beaching at Alang, India, arguing that the sale agreement required environmentally responsible recycling and that the vessel should instead be returned to Turkey. A court-related intervention temporarily delayed the beaching, but the ship was ultimately beached at Alang on 18 June 2022 and entered the scrapping process. Black Watch was the last surviving member of the original Royal Viking Line trio at the time of its beaching.
History
Black Watch began life as Royal Viking Star, the first vessel commissioned by Royal Viking Line. Royal Viking Line was established in 1970 as a collaboration between Warren Titus and Norwegian shipping interests, including Kloster Cruises. Its commercial concept was to provide luxury cruises to destinations around the world, presenting an alternative to the more concentrated Caribbean model of the period. The company ordered three purpose-built vessels from Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard: Royal Viking Star, Royal Viking Sky, and Royal Viking Sea. Royal Viking Star was launched on 12 May 1971 and entered service on 26 June 1972. The ship's arrival helped give Royal Viking Line an immediate presence in the premium cruise market. Its Star-class vessels were distinguished by elegant interiors and relatively spacious accommodations, and were regarded during the 1970s as among the leading luxury cruise ships alongside vessels operated by Norwegian America Line. Royal Viking Star was lengthened by 27.77 metres at Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven in 1981, an investment that extended the ship's commercial usefulness. The structure of the luxury-cruise market changed during the 1980s. Small fleets with high service standards carried substantial operating costs, and independent luxury operators increasingly required the backing of larger groups. Kloster Cruises acquired Royal Viking Line in 1984, although Royal Viking initially retained a separate operating identity. In April 1991, Royal Viking Star was transferred to Norwegian Cruise Line and renamed Westward. The ship then served routes from New York to Bermuda and the Caribbean. A further change came in April 1994, when the ship was transferred to Royal Cruise Line, an NCL subsidiary, and renamed Star Odyssey. It operated in the Mediterranean, where it was joined by its former sister Royal Viking Sea, then operating as Royal Odyssey. Star Odyssey remained in that role for only a limited period because Norwegian Cruise Line faced financial pressure in the mid-1990s and sold several assets. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines purchased the ship in October 1996. The new owner renamed the vessel Black Watch, using a traditional Fred. Olsen fleet name. Black Watch entered Fred. Olsen service on 15 November 1996. In February 1997 it suffered engine trouble outside Marmaris and was repaired in Valletta. A significant technical and interior refit followed in 2005 at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, including engine upgrades and refurbishment of passenger spaces. The ship continued operating for many years as a classic cruise vessel. Its history included health incidents that received public attention, including a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in 2007 and a norovirus outbreak affecting around 130 passengers and crew during a Scandinavian cruise in 2013. During the COVID-19 crisis, eight crew members tested positive while the ship was moored in Scotland in April 2020. Fred. Olsen announced on 21 August 2020 that Black Watch and Boudicca had been sold for conversion to accommodation ships for workers. The change removed Black Watch from the passenger-cruise market. The ship was subsequently renamed Odin. Its final chapter involved disagreement over recycling arrangements. Fred. Olsen's lawyers attempted to prevent the vessel from being beached in India, citing a contractual requirement for environmentally responsible recycling and seeking its return to Turkey. Despite a temporary legal intervention, Odin was beached at Alang on 18 June 2022. The vessel was then designated for scrapping, ending a career that had lasted approximately five decades from launch.
- 2022
Beached at Alang as Odin
[1]After a dispute over recycling arrangements, the renamed Odin is beached at Alang, India, on 18 June for scrapping.
- 2020
Sold for accommodation use
[1]Black Watch is sold with Boudicca for use as an accommodation ship, ending its passenger-cruise career.
- 2005
Major refurbishment at Blohm & Voss
[1]The ship receives engine upgrades and interior refurbishment during a two-month Hamburg overhaul.
- 1997
Black Watch enters Fred. Olsen service
[1]The ship begins operating under the Black Watch name on 15 November 1996; engine repairs follow in February 1997.
- 1996
Fred. Olsen acquires the ship
[1]Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines purchases the vessel and renames it Black Watch.
- 1994
Renamed Star Odyssey
[1]The vessel transfers to Royal Cruise Line and operates Mediterranean cruises as Star Odyssey.
- 1991
Renamed Westward
[1]The ship moves to Norwegian Cruise Line and begins operating as Westward on New York, Bermuda, and Caribbean itineraries.
- 1984
Royal Viking Line is acquired by Kloster Cruises
[1]Kloster Cruises acquires Royal Viking Line while its operations initially remain separate from Norwegian Cruise Line.
- 1981
Ship is lengthened
[1]Royal Viking Star is lengthened by approximately 27.77 metres at Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven.
- 1972
Royal Viking Star enters service
[1]The ship enters passenger service on 26 June as Royal Viking Line's first operating vessel.
Products and positioning
A classic, smaller-scale cruise ship associated first with premium worldwide cruising and later with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines' traditional fleet. Its original Royal Viking identity emphasized luxury, spaciousness, and international itineraries rather than high-volume resort cruising.
Luxury cruise ship · 1971
Royal Viking Star
The vessel's original identity and the first ship of Royal Viking Line. It operated worldwide luxury cruises and helped establish the line's premium reputation. The ship was later lengthened in 1981 to extend its service life.
Cruise ship · 1991
Westward
The name used after the vessel transferred to Norwegian Cruise Line in 1991. Westward operated cruises departing from New York and visiting Bermuda and the Caribbean.
Cruise ship · 1994
Star Odyssey
The ship's Royal Cruise Line identity from 1994. It operated Mediterranean itineraries under Royal Cruise Line, an NCL subsidiary, before being sold to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.
Cruise ship · 1996
Black Watch
The vessel's longest-running later identity. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines operated it as a classic smaller cruise ship from 1996 until its sale in 2020. Its career included worldwide, European, Scandinavian, Mediterranean, and other seasonal itineraries.
Accommodation vessel · 2020
Odin
The name adopted after the vessel was sold for accommodation use. Odin was ultimately beached at Alang, India, in June 2022 for scrapping.
Brand decisions
2022
Dispute over end-of-life recyclingOtherBackground
The vessel's buyers planned to beach it in India, while Fred. Olsen argued that the sale contract required greener recycling arrangements.
Action taken
Fred. Olsen pursued legal measures seeking to prevent the beaching and obtain the ship's return to Turkey.
Aftermath
The vessel was ultimately beached at Alang on 18 June 2022 and proceeded toward scrapping as Odin.
Reported value used in a proposed caution. (2022)
2020
Conversion to accommodation useStrategyBackground
The COVID-19 period disrupted cruise operations and Fred. Olsen reassessed the future of older ships.
Action taken
Fred. Olsen announced the sale of Black Watch and Boudicca for use as accommodation ships.
Aftermath
Black Watch left the conventional cruise market and was later renamed Odin.
1996
Sale to Fred. Olsen Cruise LinesM&ABackground
Norwegian Cruise Line's financial difficulties led it to dispose of selected fleet assets.
Action taken
The ship was sold to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and renamed Black Watch.
Aftermath
It entered a new long-term operating phase within Fred. Olsen's fleet on 15 November 1996.
1994
Transfer to Royal Cruise LineStrategyBackground
Norwegian Cruise Line used the ship within its Royal Cruise Line subsidiary.
Action taken
Westward was renamed Star Odyssey and assigned primarily to Mediterranean cruising.
Aftermath
The vessel's Star Odyssey career was short because NCL faced financial difficulties and sold assets in the mid-1990s.
1991
Transfer to Norwegian Cruise LineStrategyBackground
Royal Viking Line was operating within the wider Kloster cruise-company structure.
Action taken
Royal Viking Star was transferred to Norwegian Cruise Line and renamed Westward.
Aftermath
The ship shifted from its original Royal Viking luxury identity to New York, Bermuda, and Caribbean itineraries under NCL.
1981
Lengthening and modernizationOtherBackground
Royal Viking Star required additional commercial life and capacity as a premium cruise vessel.
Action taken
The ship was lengthened by approximately 27.77 metres at Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven.
Aftermath
The modification allowed the vessel to continue operating in the luxury-cruise market for many more years.
Recent events
Blackwatch appoints David Wolf as senior vice president[3]
Reported:
Blackwatch International announced that it appointed David Wolf as senior vice president of Operations and Capture.
Sources3 sources
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