The head of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is denying data suggesting that one of his two ships is heading for scrap.
The 1,908-berth Grand Celebration (built 1987) is moored at Bahamas' Port of Freeport but destined "as is" for a scrapyard in India, according to VesselsValue and US shipbrokers.
The former Carnival Cruise Line asset's market and demolition values have been the same since 19 July after the former plummeted in June to $5.4m from $49.5m.
Both valuations have since then improved modestly to $7.67m but the ship with a light displacement of 20,520 tonnes, is being sold for only $2.57m, VesselsValue data show.
'All false'
Bahamas Paradise chief executive Oneil Khosa denied the information as "all false" and told TradeWinds he is "investigating" the origin of such reports.
Khosa, a former investment banker and Royal Caribbean Group officer, and cruise industry veteran Kevin Sheehan acquired the company and the ship in 2014.
A three-family partnership founded Bahamas Paradise in the mid-2000s to offer cruises as incentives to buy time-share properties and tour packages.
Khosa and Sheehan then acquired Costa Cruises' 53,000-gt Costa Neoclassica (renamed Grand Classica, built 1991) in 2018 from Carnival Corp.
Calls to Carnival were not immediately returned.
TradeWinds has reported that Bahamas Paradise has set aside $875,000 to settle claims from a handful of seafarers stuck in Florida after Covid-19 kept its two ships from sailing.
The Miami-based cruise outfit agreed to the deal following an initial lawsuit filed by a Serbian national who worked as a card dealer on one of the ships.
Just 276 seafarers out of 10,000 named in the case received awards from Bahamas Paradise, which offered two-night cruises between Palm Beach, Florida, and the Bahamas.
