As maritime regulations tightened around safety, maintenance, and environmental concerns, the cruise ships of the past are disappearing from expedition itineraries.
The 57-year-old Ocean Majesty is forbidden to sail from the port of Karlskrona (Sweden) due to a long list of deficiencies.
The 1985-built Ocean Atlantic, operated by Danish company Albatros, is now detained on Svalbard by Norwegian maritime authorities for her failure to meet safety regulations.
10 aging ships have already been slated for scrapping in 2022 including the Fred Olsen Cruise Line's Black Watch. The UK-based line also scrapped its Boudicca ship in 2021, while Phoenix Reisen's Albatros was dismantled.
One of the recent losses was the classic cruise ship, Marco Polo, which was sent to the smelters after the demise of CMV-Cruise & Maritime Voyages during the COVID crisis.
Several more ships are surely reaching their 'best before' dates as cruisers are drawn to the newbuilds entering the cruise market, especially the avante-garde X-Bow designs popular with polar operators.