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

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.