Azamara Chooses V.Ships to Operate Their Four Vessels

Hedge Fund Owner Sycamore Partners Decided to Turn Over Marine Operations to the Veteran Ship Managers.

Operating and maintaining a fleet of cruise ships during these times is a complex issue. Sycamore Partners, the parent company of Azamara Cruise Line, decided to seek outside help. Per Bjornsen, CEO, V.Ships Leisure recently told Cruise Ship News that Azamara's four-ship fleet is now under the ship management of V.Ships Leisure, which has assumed all technical oversight, crewing, and port operations.

Bjornsen said, "We've been through the plan in the most detailed way to ensure there is no change to the guest experience. That has been the core". Bjornsen also said that while it is rare to decouple brands from a major cruise group, V.Ships has done it several times.

In speaking with Cruise Industry News, he said, "We are moving toward more data-driven management for planned maintenance, for example," "The data is being migrated to our platform, ShipSure, which is the digital platform in the center of everything we do. There has been detailed planning with Azamara, Royal Caribbean Group, and our team to make this smooth."

There has been thorough planning of crewing, the procurement hand over and customization of the safety management system – making sure there are no gaps compared to the service which was provided previously. However, we see this as a greenfield opportunity to do things smarter."