It’s being reported that a cruise ship operated by UK-based Marella Cruises is likely to be scrapped in Turkey. It will be another sad ending to a cruise ship that has been operated by some major cruise lines over the years, including Holland America Line and Costa Cruises.
Marella Dream to be Scrapped?
As the cruise industry remains in pause, cruise lines continue to suffer, and the need to offload less efficient cruise ships keeps ongoing. Marella Cruises, which is a UK cruise line and owned by TUI, a travel heavyweight in Europe seems to have sold its Marella Dream cruise ship for scrap.
Even though the cruise line has not officially announced anything, Crew Center reports that the ship has come up in reports from Anchor Shipbroking. In a table for demolition sales, the Marella Dream is listed and shows she has been sold for scrap for an undisclosed sum.
The record also shows the ship will be scrapped in Turkey. This could likely be the Aliaga ship-breaking facility, which is currently scrapping three Carnival Fantasy-class vessels and former Royal Caribbean ships.
At the moment, the Marella cruise ship is anchored in the Gulf of Elefsina, Greece and according to the Cruise Ship Tracker, is not yet showing her next destination as Turkey. This could change in the coming days or weeks as time is often needed to disembark crew members and offload any essential equipment.
We already knew Marella Dream was leaving the fleet in October but her fate was not known until today. Cruise lines don’t usually confirm ships are being scrapped until much later. Also, with other companies involved and the purchaser might not want to confirm just yet.
Also Read: Which Cruise Ships are Being Scrapped or Sold Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Marella Dream Will be Missed
The cruise ship has had an interesting history since she was built by the Myer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and entering service in 1986. The ship that was first named Homeric for Home Lines has had a number of names over the years along with different operators.
One of the most notable ones was when the ship was named Westerdam and sailed for Carnival-owned Holland America Line. She finally started sailing for TUI under the Marella Cruises brand since 2017 but for TUI since 2010.
The vessel has a gross tonnage of over 54,700 with a guest capacity of over 1,500 along with 600 crew members.
This follows several cruise ships across the industry that have been scrapped since the suspension of operations first started in March 2020. Most recently Cruise Hive reported that the iconic former Carnival cruise ship named Celebration was heading to the scrapyard in India. Another former Carnival cruise ship which was most recently owned by Cruise & Maritime Voyages has also been sold for scrap.
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