Mitsui Ocean Cruises, a subsidiary of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), has acquired a second ship from Seabourn—Seabourn Sojourn. Following the sale, Seabourn will charter the ship back from Mitsui Ocean Cruises and continue to operate all published voyages on Seabourn Sojourn through completion of its world cruise ending May 15, 2026. Seabourn Sojourn will be delivered to Mitsui Ocean Cruises after the charter period and upon handover, the ship will be given a new name and deployed by its new owners in a market that is not competitive with Seabourn.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., the parent company of the Japanese cruise line with more than 140 years of experience in the industry, previously announced it is positioning its cruise business as a new growth field. The successful debut of Mitsui Ocean Fuji enabled the cruise line to advance expansion ahead of newbuild vessels in the future. Launched in 2010, the ship is a younger sister ship to Mitsui Ocean Fuji , which was also purchased from Seabourn in March 2023. Building on this expansion, the line also opened sales to the North American market last month for the first time ever.
Before entering passenger service, the new vessel will undergo a significant refurbishment in drydock and will be re-registered and launched as a Japanese-flagged ship. The new vessel will offer a variety of short, domestic itineraries in and around the Sea of Japan that are easy for guests to enjoy. Like Nippon Maru and Mitsui Ocean Fuji , this smaller-sized ship will take its guests to such ports of call where they will enjoy the local culture and traditions of Japan, without the crowds of larger ships.
Details of the ship’s new name, drydock improvements and itineraries will be forthcoming. The itineraries already announced for Mitsui Ocean Fuji and Nippon Maru will remain unaffected by this purchase.
Seabourn guests and their travel advisors with bookings impacted after May 15, 2026, will receive a message from Seabourn with details on changes or rebooking options.
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