The 22,945gt/1970 built Formosa Queen has been sold to a Chinese scrap metal yard having come to the end of her operational life. The ship began her career as the Song of Norway (above), Royal Caribbean’s very first cruise ship. The ship was last owned by Formosa Queen Corporation, was sold by RCI in the mid-1990s and her status is shown as “broken up” since 26th October 2013.

As part of Costa Cruises’ ongoing investment to improve the quality and sustainability of its fleet, the 85,619gt/2003 built Costa Mediterranea was dry docked at the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo from 21st November to 4th December 2013, for planned maintenance work. The cruise line is investing more than €4 million to perform the routine refurbishment, which takes place approximately every two and a half years to keep the fleet fresh and modern. The renewal work involved thorough restoration of the ship’s hull, and a full renovation of the ship’s interior including the replacement of the carpets, curtains and upholstery.

Once the refurbishment was complete the ship departed from Savona on 6th December 2013 for a transatlantic cruise to Guadalupe to commence her winter 2013/14 itinerary to offer seven-day cruises to the islands of the Caribbean. Meanwhile it seems likely that the 24,430gt/2000 built Costa Voyager will indeed be sales listed. As the smallest ship in the fleet, the 927 passenger capacity ship was built in Germany as Olympic Voyager for the now defunct Royal Olympic Cruises in Greece.

She joined Costa Crocieres in November 2011 from the Iberocruceros fleet. In its third quarter interim report, Carnival Corporation had said that two units of its Italian contemporary market unit would either be sold or scrapped.