MS Salamis Filoxenia
MS Salamis Filoxenia was a Cyprus-operated cruise ship that began life as the Soviet cruiseferry Gruziya and was scrapped in Pakistan in 2022.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
MS Salamis Filoxenia was a passenger vessel and cruise ship associated with Salamis Cruises of Cyprus. Built in 1975 at Wärtsilä’s Turku shipyard in Finland, it was one of five Belorussiya-class cruiseferries constructed for the Soviet Union’s Black Sea Shipping Company. The ship entered service as Gruziya, operating between the Crimean Peninsula and the Caucasus and also undertaking cruises. Its design combined substantial passenger accommodation with a vehicle deck, reflecting the Soviet requirement for a hybrid ferry capable of carrying both travelers and automobiles. Although originally configured to carry approximately 1,009 passengers, including about 504 in cabins, and 256 cars, the vessel’s passenger capacity was relatively high compared with its vehicle capacity. Its accommodation standards were regarded as comparatively strong for a ship built in the Eastern Bloc during the 1970s. During the 1980s it was converted from a cruiseferry into a vessel intended primarily for cruising. Sources differ over whether the principal conversion took place in 1984 or 1988. The work included additional cabins, expanded public areas, entertainment facilities and changes to the former vehicle spaces. The vessel became involved in international maritime and political events during its long career. In 1984, the Soviet Union sought permission for Gruziya to serve as accommodation and support space for personnel connected with the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The United States approved a berth in Long Beach under close monitoring, but the plan became unnecessary after the Soviet Union announced its boycott of the Games. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the ship passed into the Ukrainian maritime sphere. It was transferred to Blasco UK in 1995, reflagged to Liberia and renamed Odessa Sky. The vessel subsequently experienced serious financial and operational difficulties. It was arrested in Montreal in 1995 and again in Wilhelmshaven in 1996 after an engine overhaul could not be paid for. The crew remained aboard while seeking unpaid wages. In 1998, the ship was sold at auction to Dutch businessman Gerard van Leest, after which it was rebuilt at Bremerhaven for renewed cruise operations. Renamed Club 1 in 1999, the ship briefly operated short cruises from Rotterdam under Club Cruise. That program performed poorly and was suspended. Later in 1999, the French travel group Nouvelles Frontières chartered the vessel, renamed it Van Gogh and used it for Mediterranean and Caribbean cruises. The ship was later chartered to Travelscope, whose collapse in 2007 contributed to further uncertainty about its operation. In 2008, a related Van Gogh Cruises venture was unable to continue trading, and the ship was temporarily chartered to Russia-based Metropolis Tur. In July 2009, following Club Cruise’s bankruptcy, Salamis Cruises acquired the vessel at auction in Eleusis, Greece, reportedly for $6.5 million. It was renamed Salamis Filoxenia and replaced MS Salamis Glory on short cruises from Limassol. The ship remained in service under the Salamis Cruises identity until the company closed its business and the vessel was sold. It was ultimately renamed Titan, sent to Gadani, Pakistan, and dismantled in 2022.
History
MS Salamis Filoxenia originated as Gruziya, one of five Belorussiya-class cruiseferries built between 1975 and 1976 for the Black Sea Shipping Company. Wärtsilä constructed the vessel at its Turku shipyard in Finland in 1975. The class was designed for Soviet domestic maritime service, particularly routes linking the Crimean Peninsula with the Caucasus, while also supporting cruise operations. The ships were built with standards of passenger accommodation and technology that were broadly comparable with contemporary Western cruiseferries. As originally configured, Gruziya could carry approximately 1,009 passengers, around half of them in cabins, together with up to 256 cars. The design included a large vehicle deck and a stern loading ramp, but the balance between passenger and automobile capacity made the vessel more naturally suited to passenger and cruise use than to intensive car-ferry operations. Its original public rooms were concentrated largely on deck 6, while cabins occupied deck 5, portions of decks 3 and 4, and the upper deck for more spacious accommodation. During the 1980s, Gruziya underwent a major conversion into a cruise ship. The exact year is uncertain, with published accounts identifying either 1984 or 1988. The conversion added approximately 80 cabins in the upper vehicle-deck area and introduced a cinema, bar and casino facilities. A smaller garage space was initially retained. The vessel also became associated with a proposed Soviet Olympic operation in 1984. The United States permitted it to berth at Long Beach under restrictions and surveillance, but the Soviet boycott of the Los Angeles Games removed the practical need for the arrangement. Following the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, the ship operated under the Ukrainian maritime framework. In 1995, Blasco UK acquired or assumed ownership, registered the vessel in Liberia and renamed it Odessa Sky. The ship was arrested in Montreal in August of that year. After re-registration to Odesa in 1996, it reached Wilhelmshaven for an engine overhaul. Blasco was unable to settle the repair bill, leading to another arrest. The crew remained aboard for an extended period while seeking wages that had not been paid. An auction in August 1998 transferred the ship to Dutch businessman Gerard van Leest. The crew initially refused to leave until their claims were addressed, and a settlement eventually provided travel assistance and other support. The vessel then moved to Bremerhaven for rebuilding. In March 1999 it became Club 1 and was reflagged to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Club Cruise used it for short cruises from Rotterdam, but weak demand led to the cancellation of its planned winter program and the ship’s lay-up in September. Later in 1999, Nouvelles Frontières chartered the vessel and renamed it Van Gogh. The ship resumed cruising in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, and in 2002 it was chartered to the British operator Travelscope. A 2004 collision with the tanker Spetses outside Gibraltar caused serious bow damage but no injuries. Subsequent findings identified excessive speed for the foggy conditions, inadequate sound signals and insufficient radar watch by the vessels involved. Travelscope’s bankruptcy in December 2007 created further operational disruption. Club Cruise took over the planned 2008 world cruise, while a new Van Gogh Cruises subsidiary attempted to continue the British program. That effort was suspended in April 2008 after the company encountered difficulties obtaining membership in the Association of British Travel Agents. The vessel was then chartered to Russia-based Metropolis Tur. During the last part of the world cruise, it was briefly arrested in Funchal over an unpaid debt. In July 2009, Club Cruise’s bankruptcy led to another auction, at Eleusis in Greece. Salamis Cruises, a Cyprus-based operator, acquired the ship and renamed it Salamis Filoxenia. It replaced MS Salamis Glory on short cruises departing from Limassol. The vessel’s final commercial period ended when Salamis Cruises closed its business. It was sold for recycling, renamed Titan and sent to Gadani, Pakistan, where it was scrapped in 2022. Its history therefore spans Soviet ferry service, Ukrainian and international ownership, multiple cruise operators, and eventual Cyprus-based regional cruising.
- 2022
Scrapped as Titan
[1]After the closure of Salamis Cruises, the ship was sold for demolition, renamed Titan and dismantled at Gadani, Pakistan.
- 2009
Acquired by Salamis Cruises
[1]Salamis Cruises purchased the vessel at auction in Eleusis and renamed it Salamis Filoxenia for short cruises from Limassol.
- 2004
Collision near Gibraltar
[1]Van Gogh collided with the tanker Spetses in heavy fog and returned to Gibraltar for repairs without reported injuries.
- 1999
Renamed Club 1 and later Van Gogh
[1]The vessel briefly operated as Club 1 before being chartered by Nouvelles Frontières and renamed Van Gogh for Mediterranean and Caribbean cruises.
- 1998
Sold to Gerard van Leest
[1]Odessa Sky was sold at auction and sent to Bremerhaven for rebuilding and preparation for renewed cruise operations.
- 1995
Renamed Odessa Sky
[1]After transfer to Blasco UK, the vessel was re-registered to Liberia and renamed Odessa Sky.
- 1988
Cruise conversion completed
[1]The ship was converted from a cruiseferry into a cruise-oriented vessel; published accounts also give 1984 as the possible year of the conversion.
- 1984
Considered for the Los Angeles Olympics
[1]The Soviet Union proposed using Gruziya as accommodation and support space in Long Beach during the 1984 Olympic Games, but the arrangement became unnecessary after the Soviet boycott.
- 1975
Built as Gruziya
[1]Wärtsilä completed the Belorussiya-class cruiseferry at its Turku shipyard for the Soviet Black Sea Shipping Company.
Products and positioning
A large, accommodation-oriented passenger vessel that evolved from a Soviet cruiseferry into an internationally chartered cruise ship and, later, a Cyprus-based short-cruise vessel.
Cruise ship · 2009
MS Salamis Filoxenia
The vessel’s final commercial identity under Salamis Cruises. It operated short cruises from Limassol after replacing MS Salamis Glory in the company’s fleet. Its facilities included multiple bars, dining areas, a buffet, casino, discotheque, cinema, library, gym, sauna, swimming pool and passenger suites.
Cruise ship · 1999
Van Gogh
The name used during a substantial phase of the ship’s international charter career. Under Nouvelles Frontières and later Travelscope-related arrangements, the vessel offered Mediterranean, Caribbean, Northern European and world-cruise itineraries.
Cruiseferry · 1975
Gruziya
The original Soviet identity of the Belorussiya-class vessel. Gruziya combined passenger cabins and public rooms with a car deck and was used for Black Sea ferry service between the Crimea and the Caucasus, as well as for cruises.
Brand decisions
2022
Withdrawal and recyclingStrategyBackground
Salamis Cruises closed its business, ending the vessel’s final period of commercial operation.
Action taken
The ship was sold to ship-breakers, renamed Titan and sent to Gadani, Pakistan, for dismantling.
Aftermath
The vessel was scrapped in 2022 and ceased to exist as an operating ship.
2009
Acquisition by Salamis CruisesM&ABackground
The ship became available after Club Cruise entered bankruptcy and was offered at auction in Eleusis, Greece.
Action taken
Salamis Cruises purchased the vessel, renamed it Salamis Filoxenia and assigned it to short-cruise service from Limassol.
Aftermath
The ship replaced MS Salamis Glory in Salamis Cruises’ operating fleet until the company later closed its business.
Reported auction purchase price. $6.5 million (2009 acquisition)
1999
Repositioning under Club Cruise and Nouvelles FrontièresStrategyBackground
After auction ownership and rebuilding, the vessel was prepared for renewed commercial cruise service.
Action taken
It was first renamed Club 1 for Rotterdam short cruises and later renamed Van Gogh under a Nouvelles Frontières charter for Mediterranean and Caribbean itineraries.
Aftermath
The Rotterdam program was discontinued after weak demand, while the Van Gogh identity supported a longer period of international charter operations.
1980
Conversion from cruiseferry to cruise shipStrategyBackground
The ship’s passenger-oriented accommodation and relatively limited vehicle capacity made cruise use increasingly suitable.
Action taken
The vessel was rebuilt with additional cabins and new entertainment and leisure facilities, although sources differ on whether the work was completed in 1984 or 1988.
Aftermath
The conversion enabled the ship to operate primarily as a cruise vessel for the rest of its career.
Recent events
- 2022
Salamis Filoxenia sold for demolition[1]
Other
Following the closure of Salamis Cruises, the vessel was sold to ship-breakers, renamed Titan and dismantled at Gadani in Pakistan.
- 2009
Salamis Cruises acquires Van Gogh[1]
M&A · Leadership change
After Club Cruise entered bankruptcy, Salamis Cruises bought the ship at auction in Greece and renamed it Salamis Filoxenia for Limassol-based short cruises.
- 2008
Van Gogh arrested in Funchal over unpaid debt[1]
Lawsuit
The vessel was detained by police in Funchal, Madeira, during the final stage of its world cruise because of a debt attributed to a previous operator. It departed after approximately two days.
- 2007
Travelscope enters bankruptcy[1]
Bankruptcy
Travelscope collapsed in December, affecting the vessel’s operating arrangements and planned cruise program.
- 2004
Van Gogh collides with tanker near Gibraltar[1]
Other
While sailing from Gibraltar toward Tangier in heavy fog, Van Gogh collided with the tanker Spetses. The cruise ship suffered substantial bow damage but returned to Gibraltar under its own power, and no injuries were reported.
- 1998
Vessel sold at auction after ownership dispute[1]
M&A
Odessa Sky was sold at auction to Gerard van Leest for 16.5 million Deutsche Mark. A settlement allowed the unpaid crew to leave before the ship proceeded to Bremerhaven for rebuilding.
- 1996
Odessa Sky detained in Wilhelmshaven over unpaid overhaul costs[1]
Lawsuit
The ship was arrested in Wilhelmshaven after its owner could not pay for an engine overhaul. Crew members remained aboard while seeking unpaid wages.
- 1995
Odessa Sky arrested in Montreal[1]
Lawsuit
After transfer to Blasco UK and renaming as Odessa Sky, the vessel was arrested in Montreal and remained there for several months.
- 1984
Gruziya considered for Olympic accommodation in Long Beach[1]
Other
The Soviet Union sought permission to use the vessel as accommodation, storage and recreational space connected with the Los Angeles Olympic Games. The plan was abandoned after the Soviet boycott.
- 1975
Gruziya enters service for the Soviet Black Sea Shipping Company[1]
Other
The newly built Belorussiya-class cruiseferry began its career as Gruziya on Soviet Black Sea ferry and cruise services.
Sources1 sources
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