Majestic International Cruises
{{Infobox company
| name = Majestic International Cruises
| logo =
| logo_size =
| logo_alt =
| logo_caption =
| logo_padding =
| image =
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = el
| former_name =
| type = Wholly owned Subsidiary
| industry = Travel and Tourism
| founded = Late 1980s in Athens, Greece
| founder =
| hq_location = Glyfada
| hq_location_city = Athens
| hq_location_country = Greece
| area_served = Europe, Mediterranean Sea
| key_people = Michael Lambros, President{{cite web|url=http://www.mycruiseship.info/management/monarch-classic-cruises.html|title=Monarch Classic Cruises Management|website=www.mycruiseship.info|accessdate=2015-11-11}}
Costa Zalacosta, Director
Theodore Kontes, COO{{cite web|url=http://www.posidoniaseatourism.com/Images/Kontes-2015.aspx|title=Theofore Kontes|website=www.posidoniaseatourism.com|accessdate=2015-11-11}}
| products = Cruise line
| brands =
| services =
| owner =
| parent = Kollakis Group{{cite web|url=http://www.amem.at/pdf/AMEM_Cruise-Ship-Owners-And-Operators.pdf|title=Cruise Ship owners and Operators|website=www.amem.at|accessdate=2015-10-22}}
| ratio =
| rating =
| website = [http://www.majesticcruises.gr/ www.majesticcruises.gr]
}}
Majestic International Cruises, also known as Majestic Cruises,{{Cite web|title = MAJESTIC INTERNATIONAL CRUISES - Overview|url = https://www.aihitdata.com/company/013BBD28/majestic-cruises/overview|website = www.aihitdata.com|accessdate = 2015-11-11}} is a Greek owned cruise line that is based in Glyfada, a suburb of Athens located in Greece.{{Cite web|title = Majestic|url = http://www.stazionimarittimegenova.com/pages/majestic.html|website = www.stazionimarittimegenova.com|accessdate = 2015-11-15}} The company was founded in the late 1980s and has expanded operations to throughout Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. Currently the cruise liner is not operating any vessel.
History
{{section expand|date=November 2015}}
= Late 1980s through 1990s =
The Majestic International Cruises group was founded in the late 1980s by a group interested in commercial production and cruising.{{Citation needed|date = November 2015}} By 1994, the cruise liner purchased its first ship, the Ocean Majesty, which had seen a major re-construction prior to its service converting from a ferry to a cruise liner.{{Cite book|title = Cruise Travel|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LTEDAAAAMBAJ|publisher = Lakeside Publishing Co.|date = 1996-12-01|language = en|first = Lakeside Publishing|last = Co}} By 1998, a second ship was adopted to the fleet which was renamed to the SS Ocean Explorer I, which serviced as a hotel ship for the 1998 Expo 98 in Lisbon, Portugal.{{Cite web|title = Majestic International Cruises - Simplon Postcards|url = http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/MajesticInternational.html|website = www.simplonpc.co.uk|accessdate = 2015-10-22}}
= 2000s =
As Majestic gained momentum, the group bought their third ship in 2002 which was renamed to the Ocean Monarch. The ship had previously serviced the European continent.{{Citation needed|date = November 2015}} In 2004, the SS Ocean Explorer I was laid up and sold to an Indian scrap yard.{{Cite book|title = Cruise Ships The Small Scale Fleet: A Visiual Showcase|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4mJtBQAAQBAJ|publisher = Pen and Sword|date = 2014-03-31|isbn = 9781781592816|language = en|first = Peter C.|last = Smith}} Later in 2004, Majestic sent its Ocean Monarch to aid as a hospital ship during the relief efforts of the tsunami victims during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.{{Cite web|title = Greek floating hospital to help Trinco tsunami victims|url = https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=14178|website = www.tamilnet.com|accessdate = 2015-11-14}}{{Cite book|title = Niles' Weekly Register: Volume 74|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Me5GAQAAMAAJ|date = 1849-01-01|language = en|first = Hezekiah|last = Niles}}
= 2010s =
On November 30, 2013, the Ocean Countess went ablaze off the coast of Greece after a fire broke out on the passenger Deck 5.{{Cite web|title = Feuer auf der Ocean Countess in griechischer Werft|url = http://www.cruisetricks.de/feuer-auf-der-ocean-countess-in-griechischer-werft/|website = Cruisetricks.de Kreuzfahrt-Ratgeber|accessdate = 2015-11-14|language = de-DE}} At the time, the ship was laid in port following the termination of its charter from Cruise & Maritime Voyages and only had five crew members aboard, all of which survived.{{Cite web|title = Update: Cruise Ship Ablaze Off The Coast of Greece|url = http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5630|website = Cruise Critic|accessdate = 2015-11-14}} The ship sustained major damage and was subsequently sold to a scrap yard in Aliağa, Turkey in 2014.{{Cite web|title = Ship Scrapping|url = http://merseyshipping.blogspot.com/|website = merseyshipping.blogspot.com|accessdate = 2015-11-14}}{{Cite web|url = http://www.shipbreakingplatform.org/shipbrea_wp2011/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/NGO-Shipbreaking-Platform-%E2%80%93-Ships-dismantled-worldwide-in-2014-January-20151.pdf|title = NGO Ship breaking Platform|date = |accessdate = 2015-11-13|website = www.shipbreakingplatform.org|publisher = }}
On September 17, 2014, Majestic's Ocean Majesty was one of the first cruising vessels to reach Crimea in years.{{Cite web|title = Немцы прорвали блокаду Крыма|url = http://www.gazeta.ru/business/2014/09/23/6232429.shtml|website = Газета.Ru|accessdate = 2015-11-14}}{{Cite web|title = BSNews :: Греческий лайнер OCEAN MAJESTY с немецкими туристами не рискнул заходить в Одессу после оккупированной Ялты - подробности|url = http://www.blackseanews.net/read/87532|website = BSNews|accessdate = 2015-11-14}} However with its call to port, it was criticized that it was violating the European Union's sanctions on Crimea.{{Cite web|title = Maritime Bulletin - Greek cruise liner Ocean Majesty with German tourists violated EU sanctions, Crimea|url = http://www.news.odin.tc/index.php?page=view/article/1740/Greek-cruise-liner-Ocean-Majesty-with-German-tourists-violated-EU-sanctions-Crimea|website = www.news.odin.tc|accessdate = 2015-11-14}}
During 2015, Lambros reported that cruises were down from the previous year in the Greek isles noting that the financial economy in Greece has weakened the cruise liners activity and cruises would continue to shrink in the Mediterranean Sea.{{Cite web|title = Αρνητικό πρόσημο για την κρουαζιέρα στον Πειραιά για δεύτερη σερί χρονιά|url = http://www.naftemporiki.gr/finance/story/919357/arnitiko-prosimo-gia-tin-krouaziera-ston-peiraia-gia-deuteri-seri-xronia|website = www.naftemporiki.gr|accessdate = 2015-11-14}}{{Cite web|title = Τα νησιά "σώζουν" την ελληνική κρουαζιέρα|url = http://www.zougla.gr/zouglaport/krouaziera/article/ta-nisia-sozoun-tin-eliniki-krouaziera|website = www.zougla.gr|accessdate = 2015-11-14}}{{Cite web|title = Οι εταιρείες κρουαζιέρας ετοιμάζονται να πάρουν τα πλοία τους από την Ελλάδα|url = http://www.protothema.gr/greece/article/491427/oi-etaireies-krouazieras-etoimazodai-na-paroun-ta-ploia-tous-apo-tin-ellada/|website = www.protothema.gr|accessdate = 2015-11-14}}
