In 1970, Norddeutscher Lloyd (North German Lloyd) and HAPAG (Hamburg America Line) agreed to merge, ending 113 years of rivalry. They had been co-operating to some degree since after the war, with HAPAG concentrating on the development of container service while NGL continued to offer passenger lines.

At the time of the merger, the only ship in the fleet was the fourth Europa, and it was quickly realised that she would need to be replaced if an upscale clientele was to be retained.

The resulting ship was delivered in 1982. Once again built by Bremer Vulkan, she was a 33,000-tonner and carried 600 passengers and a crew of 300. Many of the ship's cabins were prefabricated by the yard, a technology that was relatively new at the time.

In the early 1990's she was sold, and became the SuperStar Aries for Singapore-based Star Cruises.

The SuperStar Aries, formerly the fifth Europa

In 1993, Hapag-Lloyd purchased the Frontier Spirit and renamed her the Bremen. She was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Kobe, Japan, in 1990. The sixth ship to bear the name, she carries just 160 passengers.

The current Hanseatic came to HAPAG-Lloyd in 1993. She was built in 1991 as the Society Adventurer. She carries 184 passengers.

The sixth and current Europa was built in Helsinki, Finland by Kvaerner Masa. She entered service in 1999, and carries just 468 passengers and a crew of 264.

The sixth and current Europa

 

The current Columbus was built for HAPAG in Germany in 1997. She carries 420 passengers.

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