Three Cruise Ships Sit Idle in Mainland China as Owners Seek Buyers
Blue Dream Melody was withdrawn from Beihai on January 4 for hardware upgrades, then reportedly arrested over about six hundred thousand dollars in unpaid fuel bills.
Three cruise ships remain out of service in mainland China, with Blue Dream Cruises seeking buyers for Blue Dream Melody and Blue Dream Star and Bohai Ferry making a renewed attempt to sell Chinese Taishan. The ships represent nearly 2,900 guest berths sitting idle at or near Beihai, Zhoushan and Dalian.
At Blue Dream, owner Shanghai Blue Dream International Cruise Co., Ltd. has disbanded shore-based office staff after suspending Melody in January and is now trying to sell both of its cruise ships. Bohai Ferry has separately said the domestic cruise operating environment remains difficult. The company does not expect a near-term improvement.
Blue Dream seeks exits for Melody and Star
Blue Dream Melody was withdrawn from its Beihai homeport on Jan. 4, with the company citing a need for “systematic hardware upgrades and maintenance.” The 1,218-guest ship is the larger vessel in the Blue Dream fleet; built in 2002 and last refurbished in 2020, the former AIDAvita measures 203 meters and 42,289 GT.
The suspension followed severe demand weakness for Melody’s all-South Korea itineraries. The vessel’s position worsened in February with a reported arrest in Beihai tied to a dispute over approximately $600,000 in unpaid fuel bills.
A possible move to Far East Russian service has not gone ahead. Parties in the Russian Far East abandoned the acquisition plan because of funding issues, leaving no identified deployment plan for the ship.
Blue Dream Star has been laid up in Zhoushan since late 2024, when the company shifted resources to Melody. The 836-guest ship, acquired by Blue Dream in 2020, was built in 2001 and is about 180 meters long at roughly 24,000 GT.
For Shanghai Blue Dream International Cruise Co., Ltd., founded in 2016, the sale effort would unwind a two-ship cruise operation assembled from second-hand vessels: Star joined the fleet in 2020 and Melody followed in 2024, entering service that June.
Bohai Ferry re-lists Chinese Taishan
Chinese Taishan remains anchored off Dalian after Bohai Ferry initiated a second attempt to sell the vessel in March. The company listed the 832-guest ship for $23 million, nearly half of its 2014 purchase price.
The ship is a sister to Blue Dream Star, built in 2000 at about 180 meters and approximately 24,430 GT. Bohai Ferry’s broader passenger business includes Bohai Bay routes between Yantai and Dalian and between Penglai and Dalian.
