The Costa Magica has been sold to Seajets, a Greek ferry operator, according to Greek media reports and multiple industry sources.
The ship represents another Carnival Corporation vessel leaving the Costa fleet as the world’s largest cruise operator continues to shed less economical capacity.
Of note, it is the newest and biggest vessel to exit a Carnival-owned brand, with the Magica having the capacity for 2,720 guests at double occupancy and having been built in 2004 at a cost of $400 million. It was one of three ships Carnival said would leave the fleet in December. The AIDAaura will also be retired, and a yet-to-be-named Costa ship will follow.
The Marios Iliopoulos-led Seajets has purchased multiple secondhand cruise ships since the start of the pandemic. A handful of ships have since been scrapped, while the former Maasdam was sold to French start-up CFC and will soon enter service.
The Magica will soon join a number of other ships in a layup in Greece under the control of Seajets, including the former Veendam, Pacific Area, P&O Oceania and Majesty of the Seas.
While the former Maasdam was sold to CFC, Seajets has also retired some ships for scrap value including the Columbus and Magellan, two ships that it bought at auction following the demise of Cruise & Maritime Voyages
The Royal Caribbean Group has sold a total of ten cruise ships since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the new Secondhand Market Report by Cruise Industry News.
While most of the exits are related to Pullmantur’s liquidation and Azamara’s sale, four ships have also left the fleet of Royal Caribbean International and Silversea Cruises.
Cruise Industry News looks into the vessels that left the fleet and their fates:
Ship: Monarch Brand: Pullmantur Cruceros Year Built: 1991 Original Cost: $300 million Capacity: 2,390 guests Tonnage: 73,941 Date: July 2020 Fate: Scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey
Ship: Sovereign Brand: Pullmantur Cruceros Year Built: 1988 Original Cost: $185 million Capacity: 2,322 guests Tonnage: 73,192 Date: July 2020 Fate: Scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey
Ship: Horizon Brand: Pullmantur Cruceros Year Built: 1990 Original Cost: $185 million Capacity: 1,442 guests Tonnage: 47,000 Date: July 2020 Fate: Laid up in Elefsis, Greece
Ship: Empress of the Seas Brand: Royal Caribbean International Year Built: 1990 Original Cost: $170 million Capacity: 1,607 guests Tonnage: 48,563 Date: December 2020 Fate: Sold to Cordelia Cruises; now sailing in India as the Empress
Ship: Majesty of the Seas Brand: Royal Caribbean International Year Built: 1992 Original Cost: $300 million Capacity: 2,354 guests Tonnage: 73,941 Date: December 2020 Fate: Laid up in Greece after being bought by Seajets, a Greek ferry operator
Ship: Azamara Journey Brand: Azamara Year Built: 2000 Original Cost: $190 million Capacity: 718 guests Tonnage: 30,200 Date: January 2021 Fate: Sold to Sycamore Partners along with the Azamara brand
Ship: Azamara Quest Brand: Azamara Year Built: 2000 Original Cost: $150 million Capacity: 710 guests Tonnage: 30,200 Date: January 2021 Fate: Sold to Sycamore Partners along with the Azamara brand
Ship: Azamara Pursuit Brand: Azamara Year Built: 2001 Original Cost: $190 million Capacity: 710 guests Tonnage: 30,200 Date: January 2021 Fate: Sold to Sycamore Partners along with the Azamara brand
Ship: Silver Galapagos Brand: Silversea Cruises Year Built: 1990 Original Cost: $20 million Capacity: 100 guests Tonnage: 4,077 Date: June 2021 Fate: Replaced by a new build; laid up in Panama after being renamed Mantra
Ship: Silver Explorer Brand: Silversea Cruises Year Built: 1989 Capacity: 132 guests Tonnage: 6,130 Date: January 2022 Fate: Sold to a startup named Exploris; leaving the fleet in September 2023
Royal Caribbean International has seen a number of company adjustments, fleet changes and deployment moves since COVID-19 began, plus the resumption of cruising aboard the Quantum of the Seas from Singapore.
Here are the main moves that took place for the cruise line since the pandemic started:
Newbuilds Odyssey of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas Delayed
Under construction in Germany, the Quantum-Class ship was delayed six months and is now scheduled to join the fleet in April.
A few weeks later, the company revealed that the Wonder of the Seas was also delayed. The China-bound Oasis-Class ship was previously scheduled for a mid-2021 delivery and is now expected in 2022.
In both cases, Royal Caribbean cited the coronavirus pandemic and its impacts as the main reason for the changes.
Royal Amplified Postponed Until Further Notice
When the pandemic started, Royal Caribbean was in the middle of a program of fleet modernization called Royal Amplified.
Two ships were scheduled to go trough the work in the second quarter of 2021, including the Allure of the Seas. The Oasis-Class vessel was set to undergo a 58-day, $165 million drydock, starting in March.
Grandeur of the Seas Stays and Debuts a New Homeport
A few weeks after confirming the Majesty and Empress departures, Royal Caribbean announced that the Grandeur of the Seas will operate a new program from Barbados, starting in December.
Built in 1996, the ship was in limbo after the Spanish brand Pullmantur Cruceros filed for insolvency last June. The sister company was set to receive the Grandeur early this year, which was announced back in 2019.
Healthy Sail Panel Launched in Partnership with Norwegian
Putting together a group of experts, the companies formed the “Healthy Sail Panel”, which, in September, revealed a 65-plus-page report detailing 74 best practices to protect the public health and safety of guests, crew and the communities where cruise ships call.
The new protocol is expected to be adopted by Royal Caribbean International when sailings are resumed globally.
Cruises Resumed in Singapore and Global Resumption Plans
With the approval from local authorities, Royal Caribbean started sailing from Singapore in early December. Sailing a program of short cruises to nowhere, the Quantum of the Seas became the first ship to resume service in the company’s fleet.
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