FTI Cruises has named Oleg Panchenko captain on the Berlin as of April 29. The 48-year-old hails from the Ukraine, and comes the Astor, where he was captain since 2011 and previously served nine years as staff captain.
Panchenko graduated from the Naval Academy in his hometown of Odessa, before he began his career at sea in 1988 as fourth officer onboard the Maxim Gorky. He also studied German at the Goethe Institute in Odessa.
His first cruise aboard the Berlin will be from Venice through the Eastern and Central Mediterranean to Nice. Highlights include the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, the Corinth Canal and the home port of the FTI Berlin, Valletta in Malta.
The Berlin accommodates about 400 passengers.
