Regent Seven Seas Cruises, the top end of the market operator, may offload its oldest unit in case it decides to proceed with a newbuilding, a senior company official told Cruise Business Online.
The company, which is part of the Prestige Cruise Holdings group, is studying a 750 passenger newbuilding project, said Graham Sadler, Managing Director UK of the Florida headquartered Regent.
In case it decides to place an order, it may be worthwhile for regent to limit capacity growth and to offload the 1999 built Seven Seas Navigator, the oldest ship in the three vessel fleet of the company. The 28,550 gross ton ship has 490 lower berths and it is the smallest unit in the company’ s fleet: the Seven Seas Mariner and Seven Seas Voyager both have 708 berths.
Regent has been able to increase prices in the recent past and it has invested in upgrades of its fleet, including Seven Seas Navigator. Replacing this ship with a larger newbuilding would help the company to obtain a coherent fleet in terms of size, Sadler said.
A sale or chartering out of Seven Seas Navigator could help to mitigate capacity increase once the new vessel would be delivered, thereby helping the company to maintain positive development in pricing.
Sadler said that no decision has been made as yet with regards of either placing a newbuilding order or to offload Seven Seas Navigator. He dismissed rumours that an order at Fincantieri would be imminent or that the company would use an option for a third 68,000 gross ton newbuilding of sister company Oceania Cruises that would be redesigned to meet Regent’s needs. Sadler noted that Oceania hull would be too large for Regent.
