River line Century Cruises is preparing to enter the ocean market with its first vessel, Century Harmony, next year.
The ship (pictured), formerly Carnival Fascination, was sold to Century Cruises last year having sailed for Carnival Cruise Line for 16 years.
Century Cruises already has nine river vessels that operate on the River Yangtze in China but said that buying an ocean ship was part of the line’s “long-term cruise industry development strategy”.
Century Harmony’s cabin inventory includes 54 suites, 98 balcony rooms, 564 ocean view and 408 inside cabins across 10 decks.
There are two main dining rooms, one buffet restaurant, a sushi bar and six other bars onboard.
Due to the “uncertainty of the pandemic”, the ship has now gone into dry dock and will be refurbished ahead of its launch next year.
Century Cruises said: “We felt restless and ready to go the ocean. As a result, Century Cruises acquired an ocean-going ship called Century Harmony.
“The name has a deep meaning for us. We wanted to make the passage from river into ocean cruises to be in harmony with our company polices where the client comes first. It’s also our long-term cruise industry development strategy of Century Cruises.
“Ocean cruises have always been on the mind of Century Cruises, having seen a huge number of international cruise operators passing through the ports of Shanghai, Shenzhen, Sanya, Tianjin, Hong Kong and Macau.”
The line said it was targeting a launch of ocean sailings in the middle of 2022, with an initial focus on customers from China and other south Asian countries.