MS Achille Lauro
An Italian passenger liner and cruise ship, originally launched as Willem Ruys, remembered for its 1985 hijacking and its sinking after a 1994 fire.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
MS Achille Lauro was a passenger liner and later cruise ship whose career extended from the postwar Dutch ocean-liner era to the development of modern international cruising. The vessel was ordered in 1938 by Rotterdamsche Lloyd to replace aging ships serving the Dutch East Indies route. Construction began in 1939 at the De Schelde shipyard in Vlissingen, but the Second World War, German occupation, and bombing raids interrupted the project. The ship was launched in July 1946 as Willem Ruys and completed in late 1947. It was named for the grandson of Rotterdamsche Lloyd's founder, who had been taken hostage and killed during the war. Willem Ruys entered service on 5 December 1947. Operating alongside the Netherland Line's Oranje, it became a prominent vessel on the route between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies. Indonesian independence in 1949 weakened the commercial basis of that service, prompting the ship to move through a succession of routes and operating arrangements. It later served on the North Atlantic and Canada services and participated in the Royal Dutch Mail Ships' round-the-world operation. A major refit at Wilton-Fijenoord between September 1958 and February 1959 converted the vessel toward cruise and tourist operations. The work added cabins, expanded air-conditioning, installed stabilizers, altered class arrangements, and increased gross tonnage. The ship began a world service to Australia and New Zealand in March 1959. By the mid-1960s, passenger demand had declined sharply. The vessel was laid up and sold in 1965 to Flotta Lauro Line, an Italian company controlled by shipowner Achille Lauro. Renamed Achille Lauro, it underwent extensive rebuilding and modernization. It returned to passenger service in 1966, including voyages to Australia, and was used in the evacuation of families of British servicemen during unrest in Aden. It was converted more fully into a cruise ship in 1972, although a serious fire occurred during that conversion. A 1975 collision with the cargo ship Youseff sank the smaller vessel, and another fire in 1981 caused further interruption. The ship's most consequential episode occurred on 7 October 1985. Four members of the Palestinian Liberation Front seized it off Egypt while it was sailing from Alexandria to Port Said. The hijackers demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody and directed the ship toward Tartus, Syria. After being denied permission to dock, they killed Leon Klinghoffer, a disabled Jewish-American passenger, and threw his body overboard. Negotiations eventually led to the hijackers leaving the ship under an arrangement for safe passage. Their aircraft was intercepted by U.S. Navy fighters and forced to land at Sigonella in Sicily, producing the international diplomatic confrontation known as the Sigonella Crisis. The hijackers were later convicted by Italian courts, while the alleged operation mastermind, who had not taken part in the seizure, escaped after being allowed to travel to Yugoslavia. The vessel continued operating after the hijacking. It was chartered as accommodation and a viewing platform during the 1987 America's Cup in Fremantle, Australia. In 1989, after Lauro Line was taken over by Mediterranean Shipping Company, the ship was reflagged and operated under the name StarLauro. On 30 November 1994, while sailing off Somalia toward South Africa with 979 passengers and crew aboard, it caught fire. Initial official statements attributed the blaze to a discarded cigarette, but later analysis associated it with an engine-room crankcase explosion that allowed cooling oil to reach the exhaust system. The fire spread before it was detected and could not be controlled. The vessel was abandoned after developing a dangerous list; two people died and eight were injured during the evacuation. Achille Lauro sank on 2 December 1994 in the Indian Ocean. Its wreck has not been located.
History
The vessel was ordered in 1938 by Rotterdamsche Lloyd for the Dutch East Indies passenger route and laid down at De Schelde in Vlissingen in 1939. Construction was interrupted by the Second World War and bombing raids. Launched in July 1946 as Willem Ruys, it was completed late the following year and began its maiden voyage on 5 December 1947. The ship was designed as a substantial postwar liner, measuring 192 metres in length, 25 metres in beam, and approximately 21,119 gross register tons. Eight Sulzer engines powered two propellers, and the ship could initially carry about 900 passengers. Its low-slung aluminium lifeboats, positioned within the sides of the upper works, were an innovative feature later echoed by other major passenger ships. Willem Ruys initially operated with Oranje on the Dutch East Indies route. The independence of Indonesia reduced traffic, and the ship subsequently served on North Atlantic and Canadian routes. In 1958, Rotterdamsche Lloyd and the Netherland Line established a cooperative round-the-world service under the Royal Dutch Mail Ships banner. Willem Ruys underwent an extensive refit from September 1958 to February 1959. The work replaced the original four-class arrangement with First and Tourist classes, added roughly one hundred cabins, expanded air-conditioning, installed stabilizers, and modified the funnel and tourist-class public areas. The revised vessel began world voyages to Australia and New Zealand on 7 March 1959. Falling passenger numbers led to the ship being laid up at the end of 1964. In 1965 it was sold to Flotta Lauro Line and renamed Achille Lauro after the company's owner. A major reconstruction followed an explosion aboard in August 1965, and the ship returned to service in 1966. It carried passengers to Australia and helped evacuate families of British servicemen during unrest in Aden. The ship also made one of the last northbound Suez Canal passages before the canal's closure during the Six-Day War. A conversion into a cruise ship in 1972 was accompanied by a serious fire. Further incidents included a 1975 collision with the cargo ship Youseff, which sank, and a 1981 fire that temporarily removed the vessel from service. Lauro Lines entered bankruptcy in 1982, and Chandris Line took the vessel under a charter arrangement. On 7 October 1985, four Palestinian Liberation Front members hijacked it during a voyage from Alexandria to Port Said. They demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel and attempted to take the ship to Tartus, Syria. When Syria refused permission to dock, the hijackers killed Leon Klinghoffer and threw him overboard. The crisis ended after negotiations at Port Said, followed by the interception of the aircraft carrying the hijackers by U.S. Navy aircraft. The forced landing at Sigonella created a major dispute between the United States and Italy. Italian courts later imposed prison sentences on the hijackers; the alleged mastermind escaped after being permitted to travel to Yugoslavia. The ship remained in operation and was used as a charter venue during the 1987 America's Cup in Fremantle. After Mediterranean Shipping Company acquired Lauro Line in 1989, it was reflagged and renamed StarLauro. On 30 November 1994, the vessel caught fire off Somalia while traveling to South Africa with 979 people aboard. Although a discarded cigarette was initially cited, later technical analysis pointed to an engine-room crankcase explosion and oil entering the exhaust system. The fire was discovered too late to contain and the ship developed a severe list. Two people died and eight were injured during evacuation. The vessel sank on 2 December 1994, and its wreck has not been found.
- 1994
Fire and sinking
[1]A fire off Somalia led to abandonment and the ship's sinking in the Indian Ocean on 2 December.
- 1989
Becomes StarLauro
[1]The ship was renamed and reflagged after Mediterranean Shipping Company took over Lauro Line.
- 1985
Hijacking and Sigonella Crisis
[1]The ship was hijacked by four PLF members, leading to the murder of Leon Klinghoffer and an international diplomatic crisis.
- 1972
Cruise-ship conversion
[1]The vessel was converted more fully for cruise operations, during which it suffered a major fire.
- 1965
Sold and renamed Achille Lauro
[1]Flotta Lauro Line purchased the vessel and renamed it after company owner Achille Lauro.
- 1959
Begins Royal Dutch Mail Ships world service
[1]After a major refit, the ship began round-the-world voyages to Australia and New Zealand on 7 March.
- 1953
Two serious collisions
[1]The ship collided with Oranje in January and later sank the coastal tanker Cornelis B in dense fog.
- 1947
Maiden voyage
[1]Willem Ruys entered passenger service on 5 December.
- 1946
Launched as Willem Ruys
[1]The ship was launched in July after wartime delays and named Willem Ruys.
- 1939
Keel laid at De Schelde
[1]Construction began at the De Schelde shipyard in Vlissingen before wartime disruption halted progress.
Products and positioning
A large, internationally operated passenger vessel that evolved from a Dutch colonial-route liner into an Italian cruise ship and event-charter platform.
Ocean liner · 1947
Willem Ruys passenger liner
The vessel's original operating identity was a Dutch transoceanic passenger liner. It served the Dutch East Indies route after entering service in 1947, later moving to North Atlantic, Canadian, and round-the-world services. Its accommodations and public spaces were substantially modernized before the 1959 Royal Dutch Mail Ships world service.
Cruise ship · 1966
Achille Lauro
After its 1965 acquisition by Flotta Lauro Line, the ship was rebuilt, modernized, and renamed Achille Lauro. It operated passenger voyages, including services to Australia, and was progressively adapted from an ocean liner into a cruise vessel.
Cruise ship · 1989
StarLauro
Following Mediterranean Shipping Company's takeover of Lauro Line, the ship operated under the StarLauro name from 1989. Its final commercial period ended with the 1994 fire and sinking.
Controversies
1985
Achille Lauro hijacking
Four members of the Palestinian Liberation Front seized the ship on 7 October 1985. The hostage crisis included the killing of Leon Klinghoffer, a disabled Jewish-American passenger, and ended in a diplomatic and legal confrontation involving Egypt, Italy, Syria, the United States, and Yugoslavia.
Brand decisions
1989
Transition to Mediterranean Shipping Company controlM&ABackground
Lauro Line's corporate difficulties culminated in a takeover by Mediterranean Shipping Company.
Action taken
The vessel was reflagged and placed in operation under the StarLauro name.
Aftermath
It continued service until the fatal 1994 fire and sinking.
1965
Transfer to Flotta Lauro LineM&ABackground
A sharp decline in passenger numbers led the previous operator to lay up and offer the ship for sale.
Action taken
Flotta Lauro Line purchased the vessel, renamed it Achille Lauro, and commissioned extensive rebuilding.
Aftermath
The ship returned to passenger operations in 1966 and later became a cruise ship.
1958
Major refit for world serviceGeneration changeBackground
The ship's operators sought to reposition it for a cooperative round-the-world service as passenger patterns changed after the decline of the Dutch East Indies route.
Action taken
The vessel was refitted with new cabins, expanded air-conditioning, revised class arrangements, stabilizers, and upgraded crew facilities.
Aftermath
It began Royal Dutch Mail Ships world service to Australia and New Zealand in March 1959.
Recent events
- 1994
Fire destroys and sinks the vessel[1]
Other
A fire broke out off Somalia on 30 November. After an unsuccessful firefighting effort and evacuation, the ship sank on 2 December in the Indian Ocean.
- 1989
The ship is reflagged as StarLauro[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Following Mediterranean Shipping Company's takeover of Lauro Line, the vessel was reflagged and operated under the StarLauro name.
- 1987
Achille Lauro operates at the America's Cup[1]
Other
The ship was chartered in Fremantle as accommodation and a viewing platform during the America's Cup series, serving approximately 1,400 visitors.
- 1953
Willem Ruys collides with Oranje[1]
Other
The two passenger ships collided in the Red Sea after a close passing maneuver. No deaths were reported, although Oranje sustained substantial bow damage.
- 1947
Willem Ruys enters passenger service[1]
Other
The newly completed Dutch liner began service on 5 December, establishing the vessel that would later become Achille Lauro.
Sources1 sources
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