Another Former Carnival Cruise Ship Arrives at Breakers in Pakistan

Last updated on February 26th, 2022 at 01:26 pm

After languishing for months, the former Carnival Fascination arrived off Gaddani, Pakistan, on February 9 for beaching.

The 70,000 gross ton Fascination was built by Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Finland. It was introduced in 1994 and sailed for the Carnival Cruise Line from San Juan to the Caribbean. After several years in the Caribbean, newer and larger vessels repositioned and replaced her. She was renamed Carnival Fascination in a fleet-wide branding program. Before the pandemic affected the industry’s operations, the Carnival Fascination operated for a time from Jacksonville. Carnival was to undergo more extensive renovations, including the addition of balconies, when due to a pause in operations, the company decided to accelerate the disposal of older vessels. Carnival Fascination was one of them and was sold in September 2020. Unlike other ships, she wasn’t sold for recycling but instead found a buyer.

China’s Century Cruises acquired it. They found it opportune to expand further east to the ocean. Hence, they obtained the ship and renamed it ‘Century Harmony’. The ship then underwent refurbishment and was repainted.
The company believed the Century Harmony was a harbinger of good things, and the owners planned to launch it in the ocean in 2021. However, as the pandemic continued, the cruise market remained suspended.

The ship couldn’t operate as planned, and it is rumoured that the company planned to use it as a hotel ship. But instead, they sold the vessel to a Singapore-based trading company, Nina Services Crop. Shortly after, in November, she departed, arriving in Sri Lanka. Her name was shortened to Y Harmony. She was to be sent to India, but instead, she left for Pakistan this week, confirming her demise. Just last week, the Carnival Cruise line announced the retirement of two more ships of the same class, and now only two of the eight Fantasy-class vessel remains.

Pandemic is mainly responsible for the premature termination of the lives of older and smaller ships. In addition, it has harmed the cruise industry. Since its beginning, more than 20 large cruise ships have been sold for recycling. Unfortunately, this is just a part of dozens of Cruise ships lying with their fate in limbo.