Piraeus-based Celestyal Cruises has sold one of two older ships it retired at the end of 2023.
The 37,800-gt Celestyal Olympia (built 1982) departed its lay-up moorings in the Greek port of Lavrio on Tuesday and has docked in the Turkish port of Cesme under the name Bella Fortuna.
At the same time, it has switched from the Maltese flag to Liberia.
VesselsValue lists the 1,450-berth ship as now being owned by Marshall Islands-registered single-ship entity Voyage Shipping.
Well-placed cruise industry observers said Turkish interests are behind Voyage Shipping, although its intentions for the ship remain unknown. Sources close to the deal denied there was Turkish involvement.
TradeWinds was told that the Bella Fortuna was acquired for further trading, with some observers suggesting it may be used to launch a new cruise venture.
VesselsValue estimates the Celestyal to be worth $10.5m both for further trading and as scrap, although it was suggested that this was not the price the ship was sold for. It has been owned by Celestyal and predecessor company Louis Cruises since 2005.
The sale is part of Celestyal’s fleet renewal programme under which it has acquired two newer secondhand ships to replace existing vessels.
The Celestyal Olympia will be replaced in the upcoming Aegean cruise season by the 42,300-gt Celestyal Discovery (built 2003), acquired as AidaAura from Carnival Corp brand Aida Cruises in late 2023.
The company is also searching for a buyer for its 25,600-gt Celestyal Crystal (built 1980), which was retired last September after being replaced by the 55,900-gt Celestyal Journey (built 1994), another former Carnival Corp cruise ship that spent a brief spell during the pandemic under the ownership of Greek ferry mogul Marios Iliopoulos.
Celestyal’s fleet refresh began shortly after private equity giant Searchlight Capital Partners acquired a majority stake in the company from the Louis Group of Cyprus.
Since then, it has been transforming itself from a seasonal niche cruise company into a year-round operator with a broader geographic footprint.
It announced on Tuesday that it would launch winter cruises out of Doha in late 2024. The cruises will be restricted to ports within the Middle East Gulf to avoid the problems plaguing the Red Sea.
The Celestyal Journey is undertaking a partial world cruise on charter to Phoenix Seereisen, replacing one of the German cruise operator’s ships that was delayed while undergoing a refit.
