The Astoria is reportedly being auctioned in the Netherlands after spending five years docked in Rotterdam.

According to sources in Northern Europe, the 1948-built former ocean liner will be sold as part of an auction overseen by the Rotterdam District Court.

The bidding process is set to take place on June 17, 2025, Kieler Nachrichten reported. Profits from the transaction will be used to cover the costs of the ship’s five-year layup at the Dutch port and other expenses.

Law firm Hoek Sinke Ten Katen is overseeing the auction, which is scheduled to take place at the courthouse on Wilhelminaplein in Rotterdam.

“The date has been set. But anyone who wants to submit a bid beforehand can still win the auction,” a spokesperson from the company told Kieler Nachrichten.

The Astoria was previously auctioned in 2021, the German website added, but no one submitted the minimum bid of ten million euros.

This time, the highest bidder will be awarded the 520-guest ship.

As one of the oldest cruise ships currently on the market, the Astoria entered service as an ocean liner in 1948.

The ship is known for colliding with the Andrea Doria during an incident that took place in the North Atlantic in 1956.

Then named the Stockholm, the vessel was sailing in thick fog off New York when it rammed the Italian ocean liner, which ended up sinking.

After sailing for various companies over the years, the passenger ship was converted into a full-time cruise vessel in the early 1990s.

Out of service for over five years, the 16,100-ton vessel was last operated by the now-defunct Cruise & Maritime Voyages.

The ship was set to be retired by the British company when the pandemic put an early end to its sailing career in early 2020.

Before arriving in Rotterdam, the Astoria also spent time out of service at the British port of Tilbury.