Mitsui OSK Buys Second Seabourn Ship from Carnival to Grow Domestic Cruises

 

Japan’s Mitsui Ocean Cruises reports it has purchased a second, small luxury cruise ship from Carnival Corporation’s Seabourn Cruise Line as it seeks to expand its domestic cruise operations. The shipping major best known for its bulker operations announced plans in 2023 to diversify its business with an expansion of its cruise line which was operating a single ship.

The Seabourn Sojourn (32,477 gross tons) was delivered to MOL on February 28 and immediately chartered back to Seabourn to complete its published itineraries. After a scheduled world cruise ending on May 15, 2026, the ship will be handed over to Mitsui Ocean Cruises which says it will be refurbished and positioned into the short to medium length cruises in the domestic Japanese market. Details on the name and refurbishment will be announced at a later date.

“The purchase of this vessel brings forward the company's plans to expand its cruise business, ahead of the launch of two new ships,” MOL said announcing the second cruise ship acquisition. The company in 2023 mapped a strategy calling for building new cruise ships and now says the second acquisition “will begin operations prior to the new vessels in order to provide Mitsui Ocean Cruises' services to customers as soon as possible.”

The new cruise line was launched in December 2024 with the former Seabourn Odyssey which was acquired in March 2023 and chartered to Seabourn to complete its itineraries. The ship renamed Mitsui Ocean Fiji entered service at the end of last year with MOL saying it would also serve the international market. The company just announced the opening of a North American sales organization for the ship.

“We launched Mitsui Ocean Fuji in December 2024 and are very pleased with the guest reaction to the ship and onboard product,” said Tsunemichi Mukai, President of Mitsui Ocean Cruises. “While all new cruise ships take a little time to settle in, the experience on Mitsui Ocean Fuji is continuously improving, and we are now extremely confident these two ships are the most suitable vessels to expand our cruise business.”

The sister ships were built by Italy’s T. Marriott entering service in 2009 and 2010. They were considered an advancement in the luxury market with accommodations for just 458 passengers. They measure 649 feet (198 meters) with 229 passenger suites.

The sale of the second ship by Carnival Corporation comes as it is focusing on its larger brands and building new mega-ships. Seabourn introduced two luxury ships for expeditions built in 2022 and 2023 but will be overall downsized after delivering its second cruise ship to MOL. The line has a third sister to the two sold to MOL plus two slightly larger 600-passenger versions as well as the expedition ships.

MOL reports Japanese will be the official language aboard the second ship while saying its size will permit it to reach a variety of ports including in the Seto Inland Sea and remote islands in Okinawa and Hokkaido. It also looks to leverage its experience operating the sister ship to immediately offer enhanced services aboard the ship when it enters service in late 2026. 

Mitsui Ocean Cruises says the announced cruises of the Mitsui Ocean Fiji and its older cruise ship Nippon Maru will not be affected by the purchase. The Mitsui Ocean Fiji will continue to focus on medium to longer term cruises which will include international fly-cruises. All its cruises will call at a minimum of one international port. Nippon Maru mostly operates in the domestic market but has also offered longer international cruises.

MOL’s expansion in the cruise sector comes as NYK is also preparing for the launch of its second cruise ship. Asuka III was recently floated out at Meyer Werft in Germany and departed the yard on Sunday, March 2 arriving in Eemshaven, Netherlands yesterday to prepare for sea trials and delivery. She is due to enter service in July from Japan as an addition to the older Asuka II. 

Japan’s Ryobi Holdings, a diversified company that includes operations in transportation and tourism, also announced plans at the end of 2023 to enter the cruise market. It ordered a luxury, yacht cruise ship to be built in Portugal for delivery in 2027.