MITSUI O.S.K. Lines has acquired a cruise ship from Carnival Corporation’s luxury cruise line Seabourn.
The Japanese shipping company bought the 32,000-tonne Seabourn Odyssey on Friday (17 March) and immediately chartered it back to Seabourn.
Under the charter agreement, Seabourn will continue to operate Seabourn Odyssey’s scheduled voyages until 22 August 2024, when it will deliver the ship to MOL.
MOL expects to operate the ship under the group’s Mitsui O.S.K. Passenger Line (MOPAS) by the end of 2024.
Seabourn president Natalya Leahy said the Seabourn Odyssey has carried guests around the world for the last 14 years.
“As we prepare to say farewell to Odyssey in September 2024, I am excited to further optimise our fleet as we grow our expedition business,” she said.
MOL said the purchase of the ship supports its effort to expand its cruise business. It will be deployed alongside MOL’s current cruise ship, Nippon Maru.
The company also noted it is proceeding with the construction of two newbuild vessels, each with a 600-passnger capacity.
Under MOL’s current plans, once Seabourn Odyssey is handed back to MOL, the ship will operate in waters around Japan.
MOPAS plans to announce the vessel’s new name, cruise packages and prices later this year.
Bahamas-flagged Seabourn Odyssey is 198 metres LOA, has 229 rooms and capacity for 458 passengers.
