Carnival Corporation & plc announced recently it would sell three more ships from the Costa Group fleet, including AIDA and Costa. Indeed, yesterday AIDA announced the farewell season for the 2004-built AIDAaura. The 42,289 gross ton vessel will leave the fleet in September this year.

Is Costa Magica next? The ship, located today in Brindisi, where it has been laid up, has, according to MarineTraffic.com, changed its flag from the customary Italian to Portuguese. This could indicate that the ship has changed ownership.

Which company operating under Portuguese flag is likely to have acquired the 2004-built, 102,784 gross ton Costa Magica? We're looking at Mystic, SunStone and Bahamas Paradise as cruise operators using the Portuguese flag. And we'll keep you posted.

Photo: Costa Magica's sister ship pictured in Iceland last year. Photo credit: Teijo Niemelä