Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has purchased a second luxury cruise ship from Seabourn.
Currently cruising as ‘Seabourn Sojourn’, the 32,000 gt, 458-pax ship, will be operated by MOL Cruise under a new name and the Mitsui Ocean Cruises brand in late 2026, after completing her Seabourn deployment.
MOL, the parent company of the Japanese cruise line had previously announced that it was positioning its cruise business as a new growth area.
The recent debut of ‘Mitsui Ocean Fuji’ enabled it to advance its expansion plans ahead of ordering newbuildings in the future, MOL said.
Launched in 2010, ‘Seabourn Sojourn’ is a younger sistership to ‘Mitsui Ocean Fuji’, which was also purchased from Seabourn in March, 2023.
“We launched ‘Mitsui Ocean Fuji’ in December, 2024, and are very pleased with the guest reaction to the ship and on board product,” said Tsunemichi Mukai, Mitsui Ocean Cruises’ President.
“The ship’s spacious suites, delicious food and exciting entertainment are receiving very positive reviews.
“While all new cruise ships take a little time to settle in, the experience on ‘Mitsui Ocean Fuji’ is continuously improving, and we are now extremely confident these two ships are the most suitable vessels to expand our cruise business and offer ‘FUNATABI – Beautiful encounters with Japan,’ in a way only Mitsui Ocean Cruises can offer,” he said.
Before entering service, the latest vessel will undergo a significant refurbishment programme in drydock and will be re-registered and re-launched under the Japanese flag.
She will offer a variety of short, domestic itineraries in and around the Sea of Japan.
Similar to consorts ‘Nippon Maru’ and ‘Mitsui Ocean Fuji’, this smaller sized ship will take guests to exciting ports of call, enabling everyone to enjoy the local culture and traditions of Japan, without the crowds of larger ships, MOL said.
