Two midsize cruiseships owned by Carnival Corp have attracted the eye of well-established German cruise players.

Market observers in Germany this week said Phoenix Seereisen is believed to be in the process of buying the 38,800-gt, 835-passenger Prinsendam (built 1989) from Carnival subsidiary Holland America Line (HAL).

A Phoenix spokeswoman told TradeWinds that the company was aware of the rumours, but declined to confirm whether it was negotiating a deal for the ship.

“The Prinsendam is still the property of HAL,” she said.

A Carnival spokesman declined to comment on reports of the transaction.

The ship would fit well in Phoenix's fleet, which owns three small to medium-size cruiseships and charters a fourth on a seasonal basis. Like the Prinsendam, which was built as the deluxe Royal Viking Sun, all were considered at the top of their game when first built. All have settled into successful second careers with the company, which operates traditional-style cruises for an older German-speaking clientele.

At the other end of the German cruise spectrum, the more youthful AIDA Cruises has confirmed that it will be adding the 47,300-gt, 1,670-passenger Costa neoRiviera (built 1999) to its fleet at the end of 2019. After an extensive refit, it will sail as the AIDAmira. Both companies are Carnival Corp subsidiaries, so the deal is an inter-company transfer rather than an outright sale.

Although substantially smaller than the current generation of AIDA newbuildings, the AIDAmira will be used for longer cruises to more offbeat destinations, including southern Africa.

Also rumoured to be the subject of a sales deal this week was Cypriot cruise operator Louis Group’s 15,800-gt, 850-passenger Aegean Queen (built 1967). The company’s oldest ship, and one that was not transferred across to Greek cruise subsidiary Celestyal Cruises when it was established in 2014, has mostly been used in the charter markets over the past few years.

Last year, the Aegean Queen operated for Etstur of Turkey and there were suggestions that the company would buy the ship outright. However, it was returned to Louis after the summer season and this year the Turkish operator is using a ship chartered in from Miami-based Sunstone Ships.

Louis Group told TradeWinds this week it had received several offers and proposals, although nothing had been agreed or finalised.