How One Takeover Killed Australia's Favourite Cruise Line: Sitmar
The story of Sitmar, the Italian-flagged line run by Russian émigré Alexandre Vlasov, from carrying displaced persons to Melbourne in 1949 to assisted British migrants and Sydney cruising on Fairstar. It ends with P&O's 1988 takeover, the 1991 loss of the Sitmar name in Australia, and the fate of the ships. Did you sail on Fairstar or travel out to Australia with Sitmar? Tell us the ship, the year and one thing you still remember about life on board. Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:34 Alexandre Vlasov and Sitmar 2:10 Refugee ships to Australia 3:01 Fairsea's first voyage, 1949 5:00 Castel Felice and ordinary tickets 6:18 Assisted Passage contract, 1955 9:00 Fairstar is rebuilt 9:55 Fairsea fire at sea, 1969 11:49 Cruising from Sydney begins 14:05 The new ships and big bet 16:14 P&O takeover of Sitmar 17:26 Sitmar name dropped, 1991 18:33 What happened to the ships Subscribe for more long documentaries on the airlines, ocean liners, railways and holiday companies that shaped Australia. Names, dates and facts in this video come from the public record and published sources. Some footage is illustrative.