Turkish Cruise Ship Remains Detained as It Loses Flag and Classification

Problems continue to build for the small Turkish cruise ship Gemini, which has been under detention for more than 200 days. A Greek court refused to release the ship last week, while media reports are that the ship is running out of fuel and provisions for the skeleton crew of 25 on board. The ship is also reported to have had its classification certificates withdrawn and is now under a false flag.

Built in 1992 in Spain, the Gemini is 19,000 gross tons and was flagged in the Bahamas. The ship was operated by a series of lines over the years before being acquired in 2020 by a Turkish businessman who is also a tour operator. She was registered for Miray Gemicilik and ran short cruises along the Turkish coast and the Greek Islands.

The problems began in September 2025 when Greek inspectors identified hull damage impairing the seaworthiness of the ship and issued a detention order based on reports of non-payment of crew wages. The ship, which has a normal crew complement of 340, was reported stranded in Salamis, Greece, with its cruises suspended. By October, the Hellenic Seamen’s Federation was highlighting the plight of the crew and reporting that some crewmembers were leaving the ship despite not having been paid for up to four months.

The ship’s P&I Club and the International Transport Workers’ Federation intervened to complete the repatriation of the crew. Turkey’s Denizbank, however, filed for a lien against the ship for unpaid monies, and then the P&I Club and a tugboat operator also filed with the court for monies they were due.

The ship stayed at the Greek Island of Salamis under detention, but the cruise company, Miray Cruises, began advertising its 2026 season with cruises scheduled to start on May 24. The company’s website showed a season of 3- and 4-day cruises as well as scheduled trips to the Black Sea.

According to media reports, a skeleton crew of 25 was sent to retrieve the ship in March. However, they only got as far as Karistos in Greece and took refuge in the bay due to bad weather. The Gemini has remained in the bay at anchor, with databases showing the detention reaching 233 days.

Classification society BV lists that the ship’s certificates were suspended as of May due to its survey being overdue. Then the ship lost its flag in the Bahamas. It is reporting that it is flagged in Cameroon, but Equasis lists that as a false flag.

A Greek court held a hearing last week and ordered that the detention should continue. This is despite media reports that the ship is out of fuel and low on provisions for the remaining crew. The crew is saying it has not been paid for two-and-a-half months, and the media says several crewmembers were again preparing to abandon the ship.

Miray Cruises delayed the start of the cruise season until July and is now telling the media that the reservations are for another ship that the company is chartering. The company has a history of problems as it was linked to a failed marketing effort for a three-year world cruise due to launch in 2023. It first promoted the cruise on the Gemini, but later reported it was acquiring another, larger cruise ship for the world cruise. The sale was not completed, and passengers were informed at the last minute that the cruise was canceled.

There is no indication that the court has ordered the sale of the Gemini to satisfy the liens, but the fate of the cruise ship seems uncertain at best.