Golden Horizon Sold for £110 Million After Years Laid Up in Split
Brodosplit describes the five-masted Golden Horizon as the world's largest square-rigged cruise vessel, with 36 sails and room for 324 passengers across six decks.
Golden Horizon, the Croatian-built sailing cruise ship laid up in Split since 2022, has been sold to an unidentified owner. The September 2026 transaction was valued at £110 million (US$130 million), compared with a £100 million asking price when the vessel was offered for sale in 2022. The buyer has been described as a Swiss company operating around 100 vessels, although the specific entity remains unconfirmed.
The ship has yet to enter its intended cruise service despite being completed in 2019. A contract dispute between builder Brodosplit and original customer Star Clippers kept it from delivery, and a later attempt to put it into service with Tradewind Voyages also failed.
Five-masted ship accommodates up to 324 guests
Brodosplit calls Golden Horizon the world’s largest square-rigged cruise vessel. The approximately 8,800-gross-ton ship is 162.2 metres long and 18.5 metres wide, with five masts carrying 36 square sails across about 6,345 square metres of sail area.
The DNV-classed vessel has diesel-electric propulsion and accommodates up to 324 passengers in 140 staterooms across six decks, with a crew of approximately 158. Its design is based on France II, a French five-masted commercial sailing ship launched in 1912.
Contract dispute prevented original delivery
Swedish cruise operator Star Clippers ordered the ship in 2014. Brodosplit completed it as Flying Clipper during the summer of 2019 but cancelled the sale that August, accusing Star Clippers of failing to meet its contractual obligations.
The shipyard said the operator delayed securing key vessel components and related technical documentation. Brodosplit also alleged that the buyer improperly activated bank financing carrying a €12 million state guarantee, and the combined issues postponed delivery by almost two years.
Flying Clipper was subsequently sold to UK-based Tradewind Voyages. That company was unable to operate the vessel after UK authorities seized it while the dispute between Star Clippers and Brodosplit remained ongoing.
