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

[Clydebuilt1971]

Carnival Fantasy beaching recently.

She got a real "tank slapper" on just before coming alongside the two Pullmuntar ships but corrected to beach.
High wind by the sound on the video.

Her sister is currently just off the coast of Libya - destination Aliaga also.

Carnival Fantasy

[Rob Lightbody]

It really is hard to see where the end is.  How much space on the relevant beaches is there...?

I think its a shame that the older ships tend to be smaller, its going to reduce choice.

Hope QM2 survives...

[Chris]

2020 has seen quite a few cruise ships heading to scrap. Fantasy, Imagination, Sovereign, Monarch and Costa Victoria are just a few! So with the archival help of Peter Knego I put together this look at recycling cruise ships:

[Rob Lightbody]

Entire CMV fleet for sale.

cruise trade news story

[Rob Lightbody]

Entire CMV fleet for sale.

cruise trade news story

As a follow up to this, there is a glimmer of hope being offered from the former CEO.

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/cmv-s-cruise-ships-ordered-auctioned-as-former-ceo-acquires-assets

[Andy Holloway]

As a follow up to this, there is a glimmer of hope being offered from the former CEO.

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/cmv-s-cruise-ships-ordered-auctioned-as-former-ceo-acquires-assets

Their Columbus, former Star Princess before two names down the line being Ocean Village for 7 years, was another in my list of 'ships i have served on, and other stories'.

Not bad ship for Passengers but, OMG some of the crew accommodation was a abysmal, to say the least.

On the plus side the food was possibly the best, i've had, not 'haut de cuisine' but good Brit type food. Heinz baked beans - other baked beans are available - and good quality British bangers!

 

[June Ingram]

Carnival cancelling into 2021, 17 or 18 older ships either sold, for sale, or sent to the breakers, and new build acceptances on hold according to an AP article.

[skilly56]

Wife & I were onboard Ocean Village from 7/1/2010 till 19/1/2010 in the Caribbean - as Andy said, the food was good, the bars were good, the captain told me off for not spending enough time on the bridge (Charlie Carr), and I don't think I have ever dismantled/reassembled so many wheelchairs, ever! Great memories!

Very sad to see these older ships now having to be laid off. We can only hope the virus problem is soon put to rest and it becomes safe to travel again soon.

[Andy Holloway]

Having sailed on OV you'll appreciate this;

The OV dress code was described by crew as being,

Formal - your football team's home shirt.

Informal - your football team's away shirt.

Saying that the facility of 5 or 6  'raw feed' live football games per weekend was pretty good, the Sports Bar was always packed!

[Peter Mugridge]

This video of cruise ships being scrapped has appeared on the BBC News website today; I wonder if anyone on here can identify the vessels featured?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-54392978

[Andy Holloway]

This video of cruise ships being scrapped has appeared on the BBC News website today; I wonder if anyone on here can identify the vessels featured?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-54392978

3 x Carnival and 2 x RCCL.
As to what particular ships they are you'd have to check the Carnival/RCCL sites to see what they've got rid of recently.

Certainly strange times as, both these companies 'usually' sent these 'out of date ships' down the food chain to their lesser associated cruise lines.

[Thomas Hypher]

This video of cruise ships being scrapped has appeared on the BBC News website today; I wonder if anyone on here can identify the vessels featured?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-54392978

Sovereign and Monarch of the now defunct Pullmantur (RCI's Spanish subsidiary in cooperation with a Spanish investment firm if I recall correctly) - they started life, of course, as Sovereign Of The Seas and Monarch Of The Seas respectively, being built at Chantiers at St Nazaire in the late 80s to early 90s - the largest cruise ships in the world at the time and quite ground breaking so I gather. The remaining ship of the trio, Majesty Of The Seas (which has remained with RCI) is still around but is laid up in the Med, the last time I checked, with RCI denying she'll be scrapped along with Empress Of The Seas (their oldest ship) despite being closer than ever to Aliaga. Both Majesty Of The Seas and Empress Of The Seas spent some time here on the South Coast of the UK, with their fleetmates, Majesty Of The Seas being the largest ship to ever visit Portsmouth a couple of months ago - the photos are impressive!

The Carnival ships being scrapped are of the Fantasy class, Carnival Fantasy, Imagination, and Inspiration. Carnival Fascination has apparently been sold to South Korean buyers and has left Cadiz where she has been laid up at the Navantia shipyard (also where Carnival Victory is in a poor state abandoned mid refit) since arriving back in July after crew repatriation. Carnival Fascination doesn't look in great shape either it has to be said. It remains to be seen whether she'll see further service for sure or end up on a beach somewhere. Interestingly, Carnival Elation (the second youngest of the class) is the first cruise ship ever to have azipods - she was completed in 1998.

[Thomas Hypher]

Further to the above discussion on CMV, the attempt/s to sell all 5 ships of the fleet as one failed (I can't think why in this climate ) so they are now being auctioned separately within the next couple of weeks except Astoria which is apparently being towed from Tilbury to Lisbon in order to be returned to her Portuguese owners (I wonder if she'll be laid up alongside Funchal which has been laid up for several years now?). The tow is said to be going to cost in the millions, and is apparently being done because her certificates have just expired or she's just gone out of class despite the fact she is still in running order. Crewing is also said to be a problem, and towing will reduce crewing requirements. I hope the Bay of Biscay treats them favourably at this time of year in particular and that nothing untoward befalls Astoria in these unprecedented times...

[Andy Holloway]

Monarch of the Seas had a bit of  chequered past in that in Dec 1998 she 'glanced' a reef while leaving St Martin, occasioning a couple of large gashes in her hull, The Captain then deliberately dumped her onto a nearby sandbank. She was 'affectionately' known afterwards as 'Monarch of the Sandbanks!'

Then in 2006 her Captain was found dead in his quarters, it was deemed to be natural causes, but at 38 it's no age!

[Thomas Hypher]

Monarch of the Seas had a bit of  chequered past in that in Dec 1998 she 'glanced' a reef while leaving St Martin, occasioning a couple of large gashes in her hull, The Captain then deliberately dumped her onto a nearby sandbank. She was 'affectionately' known afterwards as 'Monarch of the Sandbanks!'

Then in 2006 her Captain was found dead in his quarters, it was deemed to be natural causes, but at 38 it's no age!

Her captain during that 1998 near sinking incident, went on to die of legionnaires contracted on another RCI ship a little over a decade ago when he was a passenger. His career was effectively ended by the 1998 incident despite him not being on the bridge at the time of the encounter with the reef due to food poisoning - a prime example of final and overall responsibility residing with the captain. A shame as he had a good reputation apparently.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-22286025


The accident report for the 1998 incident:

https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/5p/CG-5PC/INV/docs/documents/monarch.pdf


Monarch also had this incident:

https://www.bahamasmaritime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Monarch-of-the-Seas-2-Sep-05.pdf

She definitely had a chequered past!