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Exploris One Reportedly Sold at Auction for 4.5 Million Euros

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Exploris One Reportedly Sold at Auction for 4.5 Million Euros

The Exploris One was reportedly sold at an auction that took place in Nantes, France, on January 30, 2026.

According to Ouest France’s Le Marin, the ship was sold for 4.5 million euros, excluding mandatory legal fees.

The bid was considerably below the starting price of seven million euros set by the court, the French newspaper stated.

While the buyer’s name was not officially disclosed, Le Marin said that it is an “existing company that aims to put the ship back into expedition service.”

Originally built in the late 1980s, the Exploris One was designed for exploration cruises in remote and polar regions.

With a capacity for 132 guests, the 6,132-ton vessel was last in service for France-based Exploris Expeditions & Cruises.

Out of service since September 2025, the ship was auctioned as part of the liquidation of the company, which ceased operations in November 2025.

Interested parties were able to place bids for the expedition vessel online via Interencheres, a France-based marketplace for auctions.

According to the website, the sale was subject to a 14 percent premium in court proceedings, in addition to legal fees.

Bidders were also able to arrange visits onboard the vessel, which is currently laid up at the port of Caen in Northern France.

Built at the Rauma-Repola shipyard in Finland, the Exploris One sailed for a range of cruise lines over its 37-year career.

Before being acquired by Exploris in 2023, the ship spent over a decade operating for Silversea as the Silver Explorer and the Prince Albert II.

Other brands that operated cruises onboard the vessel include Society Expeditions, Sally Line, Delfin Risteilyt, Baltic Link and more.

Before being auctioned, the Exploris One was scheduled to undergo a statutory drydock at a shipyard in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Carnival Corp. Sells Two More Cruise Ships

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Carnival Corporation’s Princess Cruises has announced the sale of two of its ships, Sun Princess and Sea Princess, to undisclosed buyers.

The sale of these vessels is in line with parent company Carnival Corporation’s plan to accelerate the removal of less efficient ships from its fleet.

“Sun Princess and Sea Princess contributed to significant growth in Australian cruising,” said Princess Cruises president Jan Swartz. “Both ships defined the premium cruise experience with Australians and New Zealanders spending close to 14 million nights aboard these ships. While it is never easy to say goodbye to any ship in our fleet, this will allow us to deploy newer ships enhancing our offerings for Australia cruisers and focus on bringing into service exciting newbuilds like the upcoming delivery of Enchanted Princess.”

The first ship in the Sun Class, Sun Princess was introduced in 1995 debuting in the Caribbean and was among the largest ships in the world at the time.

The 2,000-guest Sun Princess also sailed in Alaska and Panama Canal, among other destinations, before being homeported in Australia in October 2007.

“The Sun Princess also helped us open the Japanese market in 2013 as the first foreign-flagged cruise ship to offer cruises designed specifically for the Japanese,” the company said, in a statement.

The 2,000-guest Sea Princess meanwhile became synonymous with World Cruises, having completed six full world cruises since 2013. Prior to joining the Sun Princess in Australia, the Sea Princess sailed in Europe and Alaska as well as the Caribbean, including serving as a homeport ship in Barbados in the mid- to late-2000s.

Due to the imminent departure of these two ships from the fleet, Princess Cruises will cancel published itineraries which include:

• Sun Princess sailings from December 28, 2020, through August 14, 2021
• Sea Princess sailings from December 23, 2020, through November 9, 2021

Guests with bookings will be notified, and along with their travel advisors, will receive information on how to book another Princess Cruise when operations resume. Guests who prefer a refund will be accommodated.

 

Costa Victoria sold for scrap

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Costa Victoria sold for scrap

Costa Cruises confirmed that the Costa Victoria has left its fleet, with ownership transferred to a subsidiary of the San Giorgio del Porto shipyard. The ship awaits demolition.

Earlier this month, Costa parent company Carnival Corp. said plans were in place to remove six ships within 90 days, with more to come. Carnival Corp. accelerated plans already in place because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last week, the 23-year-old Costa Victoria arrived in Piombino, Italy, where San Giorgio has a subsidiary yard, according to the city’s mayor. In a Facebook post, the mayor said that the 1,928-passenger ship was being prepared for demolition.

Carnival Corp. had said in an earlier release that San Giorgio is the only Italian company listed in the Register of Environmental Ship Reclamation & Recycling Facilities and able to carry out green ship recycling projects.

San Giorgio is the shipyard that carried out the recycling and demolition of the Costa Concordia after the ship ran aground and partly sank in January 2012.