Sudan (ship)
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The Sudan is a river cruise ship that operates on the Nile and the oldest and best known of the approximately 300 passenger ships that operate on the river.
Construction and operation
The Sudan was built in 1921 in Paisley, Scotland . In the first heyday of Egypt tourism around 1930 - mainly through the wealthy upper class of Great Britain - the ship drove for the then market leader Thomas Cook and Son .
Naming / name prefix
The ship is often referred to in English-speaking countries as PS Sudan (for paddle ship = paddle steamer). In Germany, tourism providers have always marketed the ship as SS Sudan (for steam ship), as the abbreviation PS is unknown or misleading in the German-speaking world.
At the turn of the millennium, the Sudan received a diesel drive; its distinctive chimney has been merely a decoration since then.
Death on the Nile - Novels and Films
In fact, Sudan was already carrying tourists on the Nile while Agatha Christie was there writing Death on the Nile . However, there is no evidence that the writer actually went on this ship. As described in the novel, the ship ran between Cairo and Wadi Halfa through the locks of the (old) Aswan dam . After the construction of the Aswan Dam in the 1960s, navigation on the Nile was interrupted here; the Sudan remained on the northern section of the Nile and was last on the section Luxor- Assuan.
Since the Sudan is the only surviving historical Nile cruise ship, it was used as a filming location for both film adaptations of the novel ( 1978 with Peter Ustinov and 2004 with David Suchet ). When shooting the second film, the decoration and camera work avoided showing familiar perspectives from the previous one. You can see, however, that the chimney does not smoke, but that diesel exhaust gases come out of the water exhaust. In both films the ship bears the name SS Karnak known from the novel , based on the Karnak temple near Luxor.
Tourist positioning
The main attraction of the ship, in addition to its double film role, is its age and the preserved ambience of the 1930s, which at least in terms of style stands out from most modern ships. In terms of price, the Sudan has been one of the most expensive ships since the beginning of mass tourism.
At the same time, however, the floating cultural monument means compromises in terms of technical comfort:
- Only partial air conditioning (only for the interior, but not for the open corridors).
- A swimming pool is missing; this is essential on modern ships of this size in Egypt.
- Compromises in bathroom equipment and technologies such as TV or Internet.
- Only two suites are really “outside cabins” (outside walkways).
- Due to the construction and the lack of carpeting, the ship is very noisy.
- The Sudan cannot dock in parallel with other ships (“in a package”); she needed her own berth in order to ensure access for the passengers.
Current usage
Sudan has been owned by a French company since the turn of the millennium . In the same period, however, the ship disappeared from the catalogs of the major German tour operators. OFT Reisen stated on request in 2010 that necessary renovations had not been carried out for years and the technical condition of the ship no longer justified the premium class prices. Typically, Nile cruise ships receive an overhaul after three years at the latest and a complete renovation with new machines after six years at the latest.
Web links
- Website of the ship
- Brochure about the ship (PDF file, 1 MB)