Pacific Venus 

Pacific Venus was built at the Ishikawajima Harime Heavy Industries wharf in Tokio, Japan. She was built under yardnumber 3095 and she was launched at the 29th of september 1997. In these years, several Japanese shipping companies started to add cruiseships to their fleets. Pacific Venus was built for Japan Cruise Line. This company is a part of the SHK Group, a joined venture between the Shin Nihonkai, Hankyu and Kanpu ferry companies. Her homeport was to be Osaka, and of course she flows the Japanese flag. The name of the ship is spelled in two different ways at her bow, above is the name of the ship as we know her in the west, down is the name written in Japanese.

The ship measures some 26.518 tons and she has a lenght of 183,40 meters. Her width is 25,91 meters and she has a draft of 6,50 meters. The ship can sail with up to 720 passengers, served by 180 crewmembers. There are 9 decks to be used by her passengersand the ships service speed lies somewhere around 21 knots. Her design has feautures of the 1990-built  Delphin Voyager, that was built at the same wharf.

At the 31st of march 1998, the ship was delivered to her owners and her first cruise, a 40-day trip across eastern Asia departed from Tokio at the 12th of april that year. She was marketed under the banner of Venus Cruise and normally, the ship sails cruises around the Japanese isles. Next to that, she also undertakes world-cruises although she is seldom seen in Europe. In 2004, she visited Amsterdam though and of course several other European ports.

All pictures were taken at the 14th of may 2004, her first and untill now still only visit to the port of Amsterdam.