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Holland America's former Maasdam sold to new French cruise venture

CRUISE_Maasdam.jpg
The 1993-built ship is pictured in its earlier life as Maasdam.
Holland America Line's former Maasdam, acquired by Greek ferry operator Seajets in summer 2020, has been sold to CFC Compagnie Française de Croisières.

The sale was reported at a high-sounding $30m by crew-center.com, which said Masters Shipping acted as broker.

New venture

Recently registered and Marseille-based, CFC Compagnie Française de Croisières is led by cruise veterans Clément Mousset as president and Cédric Rivoire-Perrochat as managing director.

In January 2020, they launched Croisières Maritimes et Voyages, the Marseille-based subsidiary of the UK's Cruise & Maritime Voyages, aiming to revive the tradition of 'Croisières à la Française' onboard Astor, renamed Jules Verne. Cruise & Maritime Voyages went bust in 2020, an early victim of the pandemic. 

Sept. 6 news conference 

CFC declined to comment on their new venture, pending a Sept. 6 news conference in Paris.

Aegean Myth then Renaissance

Marios Iliopoulos, owner of Greece’s ropax operator Seajets, went on a cruise-ship buying spree during 2020, snapping up six vessels including Maasdam and Veendam.

The 1993-built Maasdam was renamed Aegean Myth then, subsequently, Renaissance. It is laid up in Greece. 

It measures 55,575gt and has capacity for 1,258 passengers.