Cypriot Bunker Supplier Arrests Chinese Lessor’s Only Cruise Ship Over $600,000 Fuel Dispute

A Cyprus-based marine fuel supplier has secured the arrest of a 42,289-gt cruise ship in China over an alleged unpaid bunker bill of nearly $600,000.

The vessel, Blue Dream Melody, was detained on 11 February at Beihai Port following a ruling by the Beihai Maritime Court.

Limassol-based Island Oil Holdings, also referred to as Island Oil Limited, applied for the vessel’s arrest in connection with unpaid bunker supplies delivered in Shanghai on 21 October.

According to the court ruling, the claim relates to the supply of approximately:

392 metric tonnes of HSFO (High Sulphur Fuel Oil)
260 metric tonnes of VLSFO (Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil)

The Beihai Maritime Court set the required security at $599,393, to be provided by the shipowner or charterer.

Under Chinese maritime procedure, Island Oil must file a lawsuit or initiate arbitration within 30 days of the arrest. If the dispute is not resolved, further legal steps could follow.

The arrested vessel, the 42,289-gt Blue Dream Melody (built 2002), flies the Liberian flag and is currently the only cruise ship linked to its Chinese financial lessor.

The arrest comes after the vessel had already been out of service since early 2026.

Blue Dream Cruises announced in December that it would suspend operations of Blue Dream Melody from 4 January, first citing hardware upgrades and maintenance. It later said the suspension was due to wider operational challenges.

Political tensions between China and Japan have significantly reduced Chinese travel to Japan.

Per reports, the number of Chinese visitors has fallen by 50% to 60% since the start of the year. The Chinese government also advised citizens not to travel to Japan as tensions increased.

Due to this decline, Blue Dream Cruises shifted focus to shorter cruises to South Korea and continued voyages to Vietnam. However, demand for Korean cruises remained weak, likely due to short booking windows and winter season conditions.

Passengers affected by the suspension were promised refunds.

Blue Dream Cruises was founded in 2016 by a regional tourism group in China to promote domestic and regional travel.

The company acquired its first vessel, originally named Olympia Explorer, a 2002-built cruise ship previously operated by a now-bankrupt Greek company.

The ship was purchased and renamed Blue Dream Star in 2020 before operating under the name Blue Dream Melody.

Reference: shipandbunker

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