NCL Corp. said that it will sell the Marco
Polo, the only ship operated by NCL's Orient Lines brand, to an
undisclosed buyer.
The Marco Polo,
owned by Star Cruises, NCL's parent company, will effectively be
sold on March 23, NCL said, and will commence service with its new
owner in summer 2008.
The transaction
is part of NCL's decision to phase its older ships out of its
fleets, while bringing on new, purpose-built Freestyle ships, said
Colin Veitch, president and CEO of NCL Corp, in a
statement.
"Marco Polo has
an extremely loyal following and the Orient Lines brand is unique
in what it offers," Veitch said. "The timing of Marco Polo's
departure always revolved around finding a good next owner, and I
am pleased to say we have found one."
NCL did not say
what would become of Orient Lines, but that its crew "will be
welcomed into new opportunities within the rest of the NCL
fleet."
The Marco Polo's
final cruise will be a March 2 repositioning cruise from Rio de
Janeiro to Lisbon.
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