Blue-Dream-Melody

Following the closure of the Blue Dream Cruises, the 'Blue Dream Melody' and 'Blue Dream Star' (IMO: 9183518), have been put up for sale. Blue Dream Cruises has ceased operations after encountering financial difficulties. Salaries for crew members and shore-based employees by order of the Beihai Maritime Court due to an unpaid fuel bill of approximately US$599,000.

On Feb 11, the 'Blue Dream Melody' has been arrested in Beihai due to a bunker payment dispute. The arrest followed a court order obtained by bunker supplier Island Oil Limited for non-payment of fuel charges. In Oct 2025, the vessel had received 391.5 metric tons of HSFO and 260.1 metric tons of VLSFO. The Island Oil Ltd. claimed it had not been paid for the supplied fuel and applied to the Beihai Maritime Court for the vessel’s arrest. The court issued an arrest order, and the 'Blue Dream Melody' was subsequently detained at Beihai Port. The court set the amount of security required for the vessel’s release at US$599,393. The court has also directed Island Oil Ltd. to commence arbitration or file litigation against the relevant parties within 30 days. The operator Blue Dream Cruises had announced on Jan 4 that the 'Blue Dream Melody' would suspend operations, citing the need for hardware upgrades and routine maintenance.

The Chinese cruise line Blue Dream Cruises has announced that it will cease operations on Jan 4, 2026. Officially, the reason given was hardware updates and maintenance. The 'Blue Dream Melody', better known as the 'AIDAvita', one of the older, classic AIDA ships, is currently docked in Shanghai. SHe was only recommissioned by Blue Dream Cruises in 2024 after the company restructured its fleet following the pandemic. In fact, the booking numbers for the planned South Korea cruises weren't sufficient to justify profitable operation. Originally announced routes to Japan were canceled at short notice, similar to other Chinese cruise lines, and replaced with short trips to South Korea in the first quarter of 2025. The final cruise on Dec 28 was heavily advertised through travel agencies just one week before the departure. Prices started at 698 RMB per person, equivalent to approximately US$99. The itinerary was a three-day round trip from Beihai to Halong Bay in Vietnam. Blue Dream Cruises' customer service has confirmed that all booked trips were to be fully refunded. At the same time, the company acknowledged that it has no information regarding a possible resumption of operations.

Blue Dream Cruises, the new owner of the former 'AIDAvita', is sending the 'Blue Dream Melody' through the Red Sea despite the current poor security situation. The cruise ship is currently being transferred to China without passengers in order to be converted there for the Chinese shipping company. Blue Dream Cruises has opted for a trip through the Red Sea en route to the Far East. In the night of Feb 12, 2024, the ship passed through the Suez Canal and is currently in the northern Red Sea. The destination as per AIS was given as “Chinese Ship&Crew” as an attempt to signal to possible attackers that the ship does not belong to the “Western world” and is therefore not an enemy of the Houthi rebels. Blue Dream Cruises seemed to consider the situation to be safe enough for passage. In the next few days, the Blue Dream Melody will sail through the area where ocean-going ships were recently attacked several times by the Houthi rebels. On Feb 21, the 'Blue Dream Melody' is scheduled to arrive at the port of Colombo, where the ship will make the next stop on the way to China. .

The former 'AIDAvita' which that left the German AIDA company a few months ago, will continue its career in China. The ship has remained tied up in the port of Tallinn since Nov 29, 2023, after finishing her career with AIDA, and since then there have been several rumors about her future. Eventually Blue Dream acquired it, and the ship has been renamed 'Blue Dream Melody' on Jan 17, 2024. It will start its voyage to China in the next few days where it will be refurbished for the new role.

The new founded Beta Marine, registered on the Marshall Islands, is the owner of the former 'Aidavita', which had been laid up in Tallinn recently. The ship has now been officially registered under the Liberian flag as 'Avitak'. A Turkish crewing agency was searching for personnel for the ship which has berths reserved in Piraeus in summer.