Pearl Mist

This small cruise ship was ordered from Irving Shipyards, Halifax, Nova Scotia, by Pearl Seas Cruises in 2006 for $43.5 million as the first ship built for the cruise line.

The keel for Pearl Mist was laid down on July 23, 2007. Pearl Seas and Irving began a dispute in 2007, just five months after construction of the vessel began. The vessel was launched on March 14, 2008 and completed in June 2010. However, due to the dispute, Pearl Seas Cruises refused to accept the ship and Pearl Mist was laid up at Shelburne, Nova Scotia, to await the outcome of the legal process.

Years of legal battles ended after a United States Federal Appeals Court made a ruling in 2013 and a settlement was reached. Pearl Mist was accepted by Pearl Seas Cruises and towed to Baltimore, Md., in April 2013. The vessel was later taken in hand by Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Md., for fitting out. Pearl Mist made her maiden voyage in June 2014.

The vessel has a gross registered tonnage of 5,109 tons and a deadweight tonnage of 700 tons. The ship is 325 feet long overall with a beam of 55 feet. She can carry 210 passengers with a crew of 70 and flies the flag of the Marshall Islands. Her small size is described as a virtue, allowing the vessel to visit small ports that have to be skipped by larger ships.

Written by Roger LeLievre