Ships being sold, orders cancelled, ships scrapped due to COVID-19

[Chris Thompson]

Costa Victoria Scrapping

Just saw this from Cruise Harbor News, Costa Victoria a 24 year old ship going to the scrappers.
At least this is going to happen in a small port in Italy which will boost the local economy, I wonder who's next?

[Chris Thompson]

Pullmantur Cruises

Here is anther tidbit about Pullmantur Cruises, apparently items of value are being removed from their ships....

[Thomas Hypher]

Costa Victoria Scrapping

Just saw this from Cruise Harbor News, Costa Victoria a 24 year old ship going to the scrappers.
At least this is going to happen in a small port in Italy which will boost the local economy, I wonder who's next?

She's the last cruise ship Bremer Vulkan ever built, her sister being completed by Lloyd Werft for NCL (Norwegian Sky) to quite an altered design. I suspect she's the first in an unprecedented phase for Carnival group alone, likely being followed by Carnival Ecstasy and her Fantasy class sisters if I had to guess given they seem to be the Carnival Cruises fleet units for sale and are that brand's oldest ships.

As for the other cruise companies and their brands, things don't look good for CMV in particular so it would seem the likes of Astoria and Marco Polo are on even more borrowed time compared to before the pandemic. A very sad state of affairs given they're classic ships who are in a niche of their own and have a special appeal of their own.

[Chris Thompson]

Having sailed on the Carnival Ecstacy a couple of years ago I would say that a very major refit or a one way trip to the scrappers is definitely in order! 

[Rod]

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/amp/costa-victoria-carnival-retire-ships/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0bNwcm600CmtfIckbpeyVFBZzXwqKuwHlQGhKxMTeOdKpa5fnPXyfLmq0

[June Ingram]

I am fearful that some older ships and some who might have been up for a refit will be scrapped instead.

[Olivia]

Oceana's being sold...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-53321508

[Rob Lightbody]

Oceana's being sold...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-53321508

20 year old ships being retired...

[Andy Holloway]

Actually Oceana is lucky to have stayed a P&O ship for as long as she has, others of her class with other lines within Carnival, have already been sent 'down under' to while away their time, in their dotage, in Australia, before heading off to China for palliative care, before Alang beckons them!

[Thomas Hypher]

Unexpected in a time like this and perhaps in normal times too, and a very bold move from Fred Olsen. Unfortunately this will likely spell the end of Black Watch and Boudicca in the next couple of months from reading in between the lines as they are the oldest in the current fleet by a wide margin, not being much younger than QE2. One also wonders what Phoenix Reisen could have in mind in this regard given they operate the remaining sister (Albatros) of the Royal Viking Line trio. At least the three ships have had a good innings, probably beyond what was thought they'd get when they were built, but very sad nevertheless and given the circumstances.

Will there be any smaller ships (let alone classic ships) left besides the luxury ones (such as Seabourn) when this is all said and done?


https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/23248-fred-olsen-buys-amsterdam-and-rotterdam.html

[Clydebuilt1971]

Shrewd move by Olsen I think.
Those two HAL boats would probably be going at a decent price and decent payment terms I would think so probably a good move for them.

They'd have paid a lot more for them in pre-COVID times.

Boudicca used to be regular visitor to Greenock but its been Black Watch the last few years. Before those it was Black Prince who used to call - she was a combined ferry / cruise ship initially before being devoted to cruising. She left the Olsen fleet in 2009.

Agree with you Thomas - I think this spells the end for those two veterans.

Gav

[Thomas Hypher]

Shrewd move by Olsen I think.
Those two HAL boats would probably be going at a decent price and decent payment terms I would think so probably a good move for them.

They'd have paid a lot more for them in pre-COVID times.

Boudicca used to be regular visitor to Greenock but its been Black Watch the last few years. Before those it was Black Prince who used to call - she was a combined ferry / cruise ship initially before being devoted to cruising. She left the Olsen fleet in 2009.

Agree with you Thomas - I think this spells the end for those two veterans.

Gav

I've read they have been purchased for $37 million from HAL, but whether that is each or combined I don't know and there is also a payment plan in place over several years as Fred Olsen have unusually disclosed. Either way they're a bargain it seems.

Ah yes Black Prince, a victim of SOLAS 2010 like so many others.

[Thomas Hypher]

Pullmantur's Monarch (originally RCL's Monarch of the Seas) beaching a few hours ago at Aliaga in Turkey after sitting at anchor nearby for the last week or so. She beached at around 9 1/2 knots according to her AIS which is still active for now and also showing her registration as Malta and name as Monarch, and she is still in Pullmantur branding unlike the usual practices of changing all three for different reasons when scrapping a ship. A sad occasion and the first of several cruise ships that Aliaga will be scrapping prematurely in the coming months.

https://instagram.com/p/CC77nXqA3qn?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

[Rob Lightbody]

How very sad, to see her on the beach with her tracker still alive. Not for much longer presumably.  I wonder how many they can cope with at once..

I see sovereign is waiting offshore just now too.

She is an attractive ship compared to most these days.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

So here's my "hot take"

• It won't just be small cruise lines that fail, big or even huge ones will too.
• It won't just be small and older ships getting scrapped, modern ones will too.
• New builds in process will have to be cancelled, even if underway.  Surely.
• There is the potential for the entire cruise industry to just become not viable at all, except perhaps the ultra luxury small ships

Shipyards were already in a precarious position before this outbreak -- this will affect them greatly, perhaps with a brief delay.

Freight liners will still be needed, but they too will be affected, to varying degrees depending on their cargo.

As for crews, this situation will be disastrous for employment, and quite possibly even for some economies, such as the Philippines.