A cruise ship with a complicated history, Gemini is reported to have been arrested in Greece due to unpaid debts the owner owes to a Turkish financial institution.
The ongoing dispute has meant the 34-year old ship is not carrying passengers, but media reports say the ship is running out of fuel and provisions for the skeleton crew of 25 remaining on board. A Greek court refused to release the ship in early June and the Gemini, now flagged in Cameroon, has had its classification certificates withdrawn.
The latest problems apparently began in September, 2025 when Greek inspectors reportedly identified hull damage that could affect the seaworthiness of the ship and issued a detention order based on reports of non-payment of crew wages.
It’s the latst chapter in the history of the 800-passenger ship that was launched in 1992 as the Crown Jewel of Crown Cruise Line. Its owner went defunct in 2001 and she later sailed as the Cunard Crown Jewel. Other owners saw the ship shift to different markets and bear names that included Celestyal Nefeti, Vision Star and the Superstar Gemini.
When last in the news in 2023, the ship was being marketed as Life at Sea, a globe-trotting floating residence by her most recent owner, Turkish company Miray Cruises, which doesn’t own any other ships. The project that aimed to offer affordable living at sea for three years of round-the-world voyaging was called off when Miray couldn’t come up with $40-million to buy the ship. But the sudden cancellation stranded passengers in Istanbul and left many fighting for refunds after they had already sold their homes to live on the ship.
Turkish maritime website HaberDenizde.com has reported that the Gemini, which was recently shifted from a Bahamas registration to a Cameroon flag, has now been declassified by Bureau Veritas, maaning it can no longer carry passengers.
Miray has reportedly been facing mounting financial challenges. In addition to Turkish lender DenizBank, other companies are also reported to have financial claims against Miray, including insurance and tug providers, the maritime site reports.
After completing its 2025 schedule on charter to Miray, the ship entered what was to be a winter layup in Greece. According to Miray’s website, the Gemini was scheduled to sail again in early July, kicking off a series of short cruises to Greece and Turkey and then week-long cruises in the Black Sea.
But those plans have apparently been scuttled.
Story by Wallace Immen, The Cruisington Times
