Blue Dream Melody Faces China Auction Over $599,000 Fuel Bill
Equasis lists Istanbul-based Exodus Ships as Blue Dream Star’s new owner, while Perla Gemi Liman Isletmeciligi handles its commercial operations and management.
Blue Dream Cruises’ Blue Dream Melody may be headed for auction, while its former fleetmate Blue Dream Star has reached the Mediterranean after being sold to a Turkish shipowner. The two vessels have been out of passenger service for months. Melody is laid up in China, and Star has completed a repositioning voyage to Europe.
Melody’s potential auction follows its arrest over an unpaid fuel bill of approximately $599,000. The Chinese operator ceased operations in late December 2025 amid mounting legal and operational difficulties.
Melody remains under arrest in Beihai
Cruise Industry News reported that Blue Dream Melody could go to auction, citing industry sources. The vessel has been laid up at Beihai since early 2026 and has been offered for sale since March, following its arrest on the orders of the Beihai Maritime Court.
The 1,218-passenger ship entered the Blue Dream fleet in early 2024 after its acquisition from AIDA Cruises. Previously named AIDAvita, it replaced Blue Dream Star in service later that year.
Built in 2002 by Aker MTW Werft in Wismar, Germany, Melody measures 42,289 gross tons and approximately 203 meters in length. The Liberia-flagged vessel has 633 cabins.
Star’s ownership records point to Istanbul
Cruise Industry News reported Blue Dream Star’s sale, although no official announcement has been made about the transaction. Equasis lists Istanbul-based Exodus Ships as the new owner; details of the sale remain limited.
According to Cruise Industry News, Perla Gemi Liman Isletmeciligi is responsible for the vessel’s commercial operations and management. No new passenger-service deployment has been announced.
Star departed China in September and reached the Mediterranean in early November. Its route included a technical stop at Salalah, Oman, before passage through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
The 836-passenger vessel was built for Royal Olympic Cruises in 2001 at Blohm+Voss in Hamburg. Approximately 180 meters long, it has previously sailed under the names Olympia Explorer, Explorer, Celestyal Odyssey and Glory Sea.
Blue Dream acquired Star from Diamond Cruises in 2020, three years before the Chinese cruise company launched operations.
