MV Gemini Arrested in Greece Over Miray Cruises Debts
Bureau Veritas lists Gemini’s certificates as suspended as of May because a survey was overdue, while Equasis identifies its Cameroon registry as a false flag.
Turkish maritime news site HaberDenidez.com reported that MV Gemini has been arrested in Greece over Miray Cruises’ debts to DenizBank, leaving the cruise ship anchored off Karystos with 25 crew members aboard and its 2026 season delayed. The site said a Greek court confirmed the seizure after a June hearing, and crew members who had gone roughly two to two-and-a-half months without pay had planned to leave the ship on June 13 as fuel and provisions ran low.
The court action puts Miray’s advertised Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea program in doubt before its first sailing of the year. The operator had been due to restart service from Kusadasi on May 24, then moved its first listed departure to July 2 after Gemini remained in Greece.
Debt claims keep the ship in Greece
DenizBank filed a lien against Gemini for unpaid amounts, and the ship’s P&I Club and a tugboat operator later brought court claims of their own. HaberDenidez.com also cited insurance providers among companies pursuing claims against Miray.
The legal and operational problems predate the June hearing. Greek inspectors in September 2025 found hull damage that affected the ship’s seaworthiness and issued a detention order after wage nonpayment complaints; Gemini then remained at Salamis, Greece, with cruises suspended. A 25-member crew sent in March to retrieve the vessel reached the Bay of Karystos on Euboea, where the ship took shelter during bad weather and stayed at anchor.
The Maritime Executive placed the detention at more than 200 days by mid-June and said a Greek court refused to release the ship. Crew Center said wage issues had already surfaced in late 2025, when some workers were left at Salamina with as much as four months of unpaid salaries.
Class and flag issues add to the operational problem
The 960-passenger Gemini, IMO 9000687, is a 19,093-GT, 163.81-meter ship built by Unión Naval de Levante in Valencia in 1992, with about 400 cabins and a normal crew complement of 340.
Bureau Veritas lists the ship’s certificates as suspended as of May because a survey was overdue. The registry position has also changed: after losing its Bahamas flag, Gemini began claiming Cameroon registration, but Equasis lists that entry as a false flag.
Advertised itineraries were built around Gemini
Miray’s 2026 program was centered on Gemini, the operator’s single cruise ship. The schedule included three- and four-night Greek Islands sailings from Kusadasi, eight seven-night Black Sea cruises from Istanbul between July and September with calls including Sochi, Batumi, Trabzon and Amasra, and later five-night Egypt and Turkey itineraries for the 2026-27 winter season.
Miray did not issue an official statement when the May 24 departure was dropped from the first position on its website. The company acquired Gemini in 2020; the ship was originally built for Crown Cruise Lines and has also sailed for brands including Cunard, Star, Quail and Celestyal.
Miray was also involved in the Life at Sea residential cruise project, which proposed a three-year world voyage before being canceled in November 2023 after investment and vessel acquisition problems. The project was initially promoted with Gemini before Miray pursued a larger ship, a sale that was not completed.
There is no indication that the Greek court has ordered Gemini sold to satisfy the liens. The Maritime Executive said Miray is telling media that reservations are for another ship the company is chartering; no replacement vessel was named.
