An official naming ceremony at the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal has marked the rebirth of Seabourn Odyssey as MITSUI OCEAN FUJI.
Owners MOL Cruises bought Seabourn Odyssey in March 2023, immediately leasing the vessel back to Seabourn for a year and a half. Now the vessel has officially joined MOL’s Mitsui Ocean Cruises fleet, joining Nippon Maru to target the growing Japanese cruise market.
It is the first cruise ship in Japan with all suite cabins, the cruise line pointed out. It also highlighted the vessel’s combination of Japanese high quality “Omotenashi” service and hospitality with “western luxury hardware”.Senko Ikenobo, the first female head of the Ikenobo School of Flower Arrangement, named the ship at last week’s ceremony. “I hope this cruise ship will sail safely around beautiful Japan and the world for many years to come,” she said.
Her speech was followed by the traditional breaking of a barrel of sake.
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The ceremony followed the vessel’s 1 December launch, attended by MOL Cruises President and CEO Tsunemichi Mukai.
“Today, we are pleased to send off the MITSUI OCEAN FUJI, the second cruise ship for Mitsui Ocean Cruises,” Mukai said.
“We have been eagerly awaiting this day to welcome you on board. The MITSUI OCEAN FUJI looks forward to taking you on a beautiful voyage in Japan, embodying the deep traditional culture of Japan and the beauty and delicate taste of the ocean and nature.”
MITSUI OCEAN FUJI will offer a total of five “Debut Cruise” packages and one New Year’s cruise. From its Yokohama homeport, it will offer cruises to Kobe, Nagoya, Beppu, Shimonoseki, Shingu, Kochi, Nagoya, Sakaide, Kobe, Matsuyama, Hakata, Kagoshima, Nagasaki and Hiroshima as well as other seaside destinations in Japan.
It is also expected to embark on a 100-day round-the-world cruise in April 2025.
MOL Cruises plans to add more cruise ships to its fleet, it confirmed, with two 600-passenger new-build vessels also on the cards.
