MS Astor

Astor departing from Fremantle Harbour, 2016
Name:	1987–1988: Astor 1988–1991: Fedor Dostoyevskiy 1991–1995: Fedor Dostoevskiy 1995 onwards: Astor
Namesake:	Fyodor Dostoevsky (2nd name)
Owner:	1987–1988: Marlan Corporation 1988–1991: Black Sea Shipping Company 1991–1996: Fedor Dostoevskiy Shipping Co. 1996–2010: Astor Shipping Co. 2010-2014: Premicon 2014 onwards: Global Maritime Group
Operator:	1987–1988: Marlan Corporation 1988–1990: Transocean Tours 1990–1995: Neckermann Seereisen 1995–1996: Aquamarin 1996 onwards: Transocean Tours 2013 onwards : Cruise & Maritime Voyages
Port of registry:	1987–1988: Port Louis,  Mauritius 1988–1991: Odessa,  Soviet Union 1992 –onwards: Nassau  Bahamas
Ordered:	1985
Builder:	HDW, Kiel, West Germany
Cost:	$65 million
Yard number:	218
Launched:	30 May 1986
Acquired:	14 January 1987
Maiden voyage:	14 January 1987
In service:	14 January 1987
Identification:	Call sign: C6JR3 IMO number: 8506373 MMSI number: 308214000
Status:	In service
General characteristics
Type:	Cruise ship
Tonnage:	20,704 GT 3,780 DWT
Length:	176.25 m (578 ft 3 in)
Beam:	22.60 m (74 ft 2 in)
Draught:	6.15 m (20 ft 2 in)
Decks:	7 (passenger accessible)
Installed power:	Four Sulzer-Wärtsilä diesel engines 15,400 kW (combined)
Propulsion:	Two propellers
Speed:	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Capacity:	650 passengers
Crew:	300

MS Astor is a cruise ship owned by the Germany-based Premicon, under charter to the Germany-based Transocean Tours. She was built in 1987 under the name Astor by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), Kiel in West Germany for the Mauritius-based Marlan Corporation, although originally ordered by the South African Safmarine as a combined ocean liner/cruise ship for the Southampton-Cape Town service.

In 1988, she was sold to the Soviet Union-based Black Sea Shipping Company and renamed Fedor Dostoevskiy (some sources spell the name Fedor Dostoyevskiy,Russian: Фёдор Достое́вский), but spent her time under charter to various West German cruise lines. In 1995 she reverted to the name Astor. Since 1996 she has been under charter to Transocean Tours.

On 28 November 2008, an attempted pirate attack on the Astor in the Gulf of Oman was prevented by the German frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Today she operates for Cruise & Maritime Voyages on voyages in Europe, South Africa and Australia.

The South African Safmarine had restarted ocean liner service between Southampton and Cape Town in 1984 by acquiring the 1981-built cruise ship Astor from the West German Hadag Cruise Line. In service the first Astor's engines proved too underpowered to maintain liner service. As a result Safmarine decided to order a new ship in 1985 from the HDW shipyard in Kiel, based on the same design as the 1981 Astor (which had been built at HDW's yard at Hamburg) but with additional facilities and more powerful engines, making her better suited for liner operations as well as cruising. Confusingly the new ship was also decided to be named Astor. Even though the second Astor was not to be delivered until 1987, the first Astor was sold to the East German Deutsche Seerederei (via a West German intermediary) in 1985. Soon after this Safmarine decided to abandon their passenger operations, and in January 1986 the second Astor's construction contract was sold to the Mauritius-based Marlan Corporation. The ship was launched from dry dock on 30 May 1986 and delivered to the Marlan Corporation on 14 January 1987.