Cruise industry sources in Singapore state that the 150,700 GT cruise ship World Dream (2017-built for GHK's Dream Cruises), which was delivered to Cruise Saudi on February 28th, was renamed Manara. The vessel's flag state was also changed - from The Bahamas to France/Marshall Islands (port of registry Majuro).
Owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Cruise Saudi is an entity working to put Saudi Arabia on the global cruise map by working with the ministries and regulatory authorities of the country to build the offshore/onshore cruise ecosystem.
Lars Clasen (Cruise Saudi's CEO) is a cruise industry veteran who has held management roles in companies like AIDA and Ritz-Carlton. He officially confirmed the vessel's purchase in a media statement last week.
He said that World Dream’s purchase was in line with the strategy and direction of the company to build and develop the industry in Saudi Arabia.
The vessel had been renamed to reflect its new ownership and would undergo a refit, he said.
Clasen provided few details about Cruise Saudi’s plans for its first liner, saying these would be announced at a later date.
DNV's database shows that the vessel's technical management has been switched to Columbia Cruise Services LTD (2014-founded, Hamburg-based) from V.Ships Leisure Ltd (part of V.Group Holdings Ltd/1984-founded, Monaco-registered, London-headquartered), which managed World Dream during the cold lay-up after the boat was arrested by KfW IPEX-Bank back in March 2022.