The ship was built in 1965, as the Istra. She was purchased by Arcadia Shipping Company, Lisbon in 2000 and was completely reconstructed from the hull up, being renamed Arion. She was put in service with Classic International Cruises[1] On 17 September 2012 reports announced that she was detained in Montenegro for failure to pay fuel costs. Fellow ships Athena and Princess Danae were detained for similar issues.[2]
Following the liquidation of Classic International Cruises, Arion was purchased by a Portuguese entrepreneur and remained flagged under the Portuguese flag. The ship was renamed Porto in 2013, and operated by the Portuguese cruise company Portuscale Cruises.
In 2017, the ship was sold for €1.05 million for scrapping [3] and broken up on 5 November 2018 at Aliaga.