A new cruise travel brand (targeting exclusively the French-speaking market) is now on the horizon with the purchase of the former HAL-Holland America cruise ship MS Maasdam - now renamed CFC Renaissance.
The sale of MS Maasdam which was bought by the Greek shipping magnate Marios Iliopoulos in July 2020, and renamed Aegean Myth, was announced on Friday, August 19.
The vessel was purchased by the Greek ferry company SeaJets at the height of the crisis for $10 million and sold to the French start-up cruise company CFC-Compagnie Francaise De Croisieres for $30 million.
The new cruise line was registered this year. The new owner is CFC HoldCo (headquartered and registered in Marseille France) with Clement Mousset serving as the President and Cedric Rivoire-Perrochat as Managing Director.
The 1993-built vessel will most probably be refurbished prior to entering service for the new company. CFC-Compagnie Francaise De Croisieres has not yet revealed when the vessel will start operation or the new itineraries.
During the COVID crisis, SeaJets acquired 5 more cruise ships at bargain prices from Carnival Corporation and RCG-Royal Caribbean Group. In the coming year, the vessels will probably find new commercial buyers. They are docked in Piraeus-Athens and Agio under Optimum Shipmanagement (Piraeus-based company).