Lavia was a cruise ship that caught fire and sank in Hong Kong Harbour in 1989.

[3] She received a major refit in 1953, part of which was the introduction of stabilisers; Media was the first ship on the transatlantic route so equipped.

The ship was renamed Flavia and used for round the world voyages and to transport emigrants to Australia.

Sailing via the Suez Canal she visited Fremantle, Melbourne and Sydney, arriving on 9 October.

Departing from Sydney on 10 October, she sailed to Bremerhaven, which was to be her base for round the world voyages.

[4] The route that Flavia took on her round the world voyages was Bremerhaven – Rotterdam – Tilbury – Curaçao – Panama Canal – Papeete – Auckland – Sydney –Melbourne – Fremantle – Aden – Suez Canal – Port Said – Cannes – Tilbury – Rotterdam – Bremerhaven.

With the closure of the Suez Canal in 1967 as a result of the Six-Day War, Flavia sailed via South Africa on her return to Europe.

[1] She was refitted with her accommodation upgraded and a reduction in berths to 850 passengers transformed her into a cruise ship.

Four fireboats and over 250 firefighters tackled the blaze but Lavia sank owing to the vast amounts of water pumped aboard her in an effort to put out the flames.