MOL purchases 32,000-ton Luxury Cruise Ship
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. has announced that it has purchased a 32,000-ton cruise ship, the Seabourn Odyssey, from Seabourn Cruise Line Limited. This luxury class cruise ship has 229 large suite-class passenger cabins, almost all of which have balconies. With two cruise ships, including the Nippon Maru currently in service by Mitsui O.S.K. Passenger Line, Ltd. (MOPAS; President: Yusuke Ueno; Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo), MOL Group will be able to offer a service lineup that meets a wider range of customer needs.
Accelerate cruise business expansion plan by introducing new cruise ships
The NYK Group has positioned the cruise business as a new growth area, and announced in November last year that it would build two new cruise ships with a capacity of 600 passengers in order to expand this business. The purchase of this ship will bring forward the cruise business expansion plan that precedes the introduction of these new ships. In the expansion of the cruise business, we aim to develop international and high-quality services based on a new concept with new ships. on the background of
The vessel will be 100% owned and operated by the NYK Group. After the purchase, the current owner will continue the service for about a year and a half, after which necessary renovations will be carried out and the ship will make its full-fledged debut.
Offering a marriage of high-quality ship facilities and traditional food and service
After the launch of the service around the end of 2024, it is expected to operate in sea areas centered on Japan. Among them, considering the characteristics of the ship's space and ship shape, such as multiple dining options, a large deck, a retractable marina, and spacious cabins with balconies, we will continue to offer medium- to long-term cruises, including round-the-world cruises, in addition to domestic cruises. It is a policy to expand. In addition to current customers, we will prepare hardware and software aspects so that overseas customers can use it.
MOL Passenger Line plans to announce sales products, prices, and ship names by the summer of 2023. We will transplant the service quality backed by the knowledge and experience related to cruises cultivated on Nippon Maru, which has a reputation for food and hospitality, to this ship, and operate a Japanese cruise ship that can be proud of the world both in name and reality.
By increasing the number of cruise ships offered by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Passenger Lines to two, the number of departures and arrivals in various parts of Japan will be greatly increased, creating more boarding opportunities for many customers. can be provided.
Expanding and promoting the cruise business of the MOL Group
From April 2023, MOL will establish a cruise business innovation project unit to expand and promote the cruise business within the newly established Well-Being Life Sales Division. Here, in cooperation with Mitsui O.S.K. In addition, in order to promote this project from a more global perspective, we have decided to appoint Anthony Kaufman, who has deep knowledge and knowledge of the cruise business in the United States, the home of cruises, as Senior Executive Advisor of the Cruise Business Innovation Project Unit. bottom. He has held important positions at Holland America Cruise Line and Princess Cruises, and played a major role in developing the inbound market for Japan.
Please look forward to the cruise business that the MOL Group will develop in the future.
[Outline of the ship]
| gross tonnage | 32,477 tons |
| full length | 198.15 meters |
| Width | 25.6 meters |
| Number of rooms | 229 rooms |
| passenger capacity | 458 people |
| number of restaurants | 4 facilities |
| seller | Seabourn Cruise Line Limited |