Bahamas Paradise Cruise Lines’ ship Grand Celebration has departed Freeport in the Bahamas to be scrapped in Alang, India.
The former Carnival Celebration and sister ship to Magellan is due to arrive in India in early January, according to the Cruise Ship Tracker and sources at the shipyard.
Earlier this week, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s Chief Executive Oneil Khosa denied the sale to Tradewinds saying the information is ‘all false’ and he is looking into its origin. The ships AIS data contradict his claims, showing the ship at sea with a final destination in India. Documents have also been shared online showing the ship listed as sold to an undisclosed buyer.
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line recently came under fire for forcing crew members to work onboard for five months without pay.
On Thursday a Florida judge called an $875,000 settlement agreement between lawyers for the company and lawyers for the estimated 275 crew members “wholly inadequate” and sent the legal teams back to the negotiating table.
A lawyer for Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line said it needs to raise money for the settlement fund as it struggles to stay afloat, and that bankruptcy is a “possibility.”
The cruise line’s website has also been simplified recently, with no future cruises being advertised, replaced instead with a single page reading:
“Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is pleased to announce that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lifted the no-sail order and provided new guidelines for cruises to resume sailing. Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is now working to comply with all requirements to ensure a safe return for guests to Grand Bahama Island,” the company said, on its website, noting it will “be accepting reservations very soon.”
Before the pandemic, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line operated two ships, Grand Celebration and Grand Classica, on short breaks from Palm Beach to the Bahamas.