Expedition Cruise Ship Ocean Victory Detained in Malaga – Charter for Alma Cruceros at Risk?

This development followed shortly after Alma Cruceros had to cancel the Ocean Victory's scheduled departures for May 11th and 18th, 2025, on short notice. These cancellations were the first after only three regularly completed voyages. The approximately 200 crew members aboard the ship, which is designed for a maximum of 186 passengers, are currently in a holding pattern, awaiting official information regarding further developments. A statement from the Spanish cruise operator Alma Cruceros regarding the current situation is still pending. The original plan was for the compact cruise ship to call on various destinations in the Canary Islands, North Africa, and the Mediterranean during the summer season.

According to reports from Spanish media, Alma Cruceros is allegedly struggling with significant financial difficulties, which could jeopardize the continuation of its cruise operations. However, these reports have not yet been officially confirmed. The Ocean Victory was delivered in 2021 by the Chinese shipyard CMHI to SunStone Ships, a company that charters out a fleet of expedition cruise ships. This is not the first instance of an operator of the Ocean Victory facing financial troubles; American Queen Voyages, a former charterer of the vessel, previously filed for insolvency due to payment difficulties.

The immediate future of the Ocean Victory for the current summer season is therefore uncertain. Both booked passengers and the crew are urgently awaiting clarifying information from Alma Cruceros. Unaffected by these developments is the ship's winter charter: for the cold season, the Ocean Victory is chartered to Albatros Expeditions for voyages to Antarctica.