Fred Olsen Cruise Lines and Celestyal Cruises have put their faith in the future of cruising by adding new vessels to their fleets.
But the news sadly coincides with reports that the independent UK cruise line Cruise & Maritime Voyages are involved in last-ditch talks to stave off insolvency.
Olsen is introducing two new ships to its ocean going fleet as it looks to strengthen the brand and evolve for cruising on the other side of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ships, to be named Bolette and Borealis, have been purchased from Holland America Line and previously sailed under the names Amsterdam and Rotterdam, pictured above, carrying up to 1,380 and 1,404 guests. Maasdam and Veendam will also be leaving the Holland America fleet this year.
Meanwhile, Celestyal Cruises, the Greek Islands and the Eastern Mediterranean specialist, announced today that it is adding Costa Cruises’ Costa NeoRomantica, pictured below, to its fleet. The ship was built in 1993 and extensively refurbished in 2012.
The acquisition of Bolette and Borealis will modernise and increase capacity across Olsen’s fleet of small ships .
Olsen’s current ocean ships – Balmoral, Braemar, Boudicca and Black Watch – are currently in Babcock’s Rosyth Facilities in Scotland, where the two new ships will join them.
Fred. Olsen Junior, Chairman of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “We have chosen these vessels as they will fit seamlessly into our existing fleet of small ships, each carrying under 1,500 guests, bringing with them new and larger public areas whilst not compromising on our small ship experience.
“The naming of the vessels is important to us. Bolette and Borealis are both names of ships we have had in years gone by.
“This increase in our capacity demonstrates our confidence in the future. With these new additions to the fleet, we will come out of this current situation stronger than ever.”
Celestyal Cruises’ CEO, Chris Theophilides, said today: “I’m delighted with the addition of this mid-size cruise vessel to our fleet. She is ideally suited to our business model and is very well appointed following her significant transformation in 2012.
“I’m confident that she will prove to be a very popular choice amongst our valued guests and will allow us to continue providing truly unique experiences to our valued guests for years to come.”