Russia’s Rosmorport is looking into selling its 1971-built cruise ship, the Knyaz Vladimir, which has mostly sat laid up in the Black Sea for the past few years.
Last operated by Black Sea Cruises, the vessel was acquired by the Russian Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport in early 2017.
According to reports in the Russian media, Rosmorport announced its intentions to sell the 765-passenger vessel in late 2025.
Portnews.ru reported that the ship was initially put up for auction in November 2025, with a starting price of 873.5 million rubles (roughly $11 million).
The bidding process was later cancelled due to a lack of offers, the website continued, prompting Rosmorport to announce an open sale.
The ship was put on the market “as is, where is,” with all onboard furniture and systems included, and no minimum asking price.
In February 2026, Rosmorport reportedly reached an agreement to sell the ship to Moscow-based Razvitie Goroda LLC.
While the transaction was set to be concluded a month later, no updates have since been shared, and the Knyaz Vladimir remains docked at the port of Novorossiysk.
A local source stated that payment and delivery were being processed in March 2026, but no further updates have been reported on.
Black Sea Cruises was launched with the aim of developing maritime infrastructure and incentivizing tourism in the Black Sea.
As reported by Cruise Industry News, the vessel’s original itinerary departed from Sochi and included visits to Novorossiysk and Sevastopol, in addition to an overnight call in Yalta.
Originally built as a cruise-ferry, the Knyaz Vladimir operated in the region for three summer seasons before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
While the ship resumed service following the health emergency, conflicts in the Black Sea region caused the operation to be halted again after 2021.
According to Portnews.ru, the Knyaz Vladimir resumed service briefly in 2023, offering new itineraries between Sochi and Sukhumi.
The 14,717-ton ship then entered layup at the port of Novorossiysk, where, according to AIS information, it is currently docked.
