Do They Sink Old Cruise Ships?

Cruise ships can tip over or sink, but the chance of either happening is extremely low. Over the years, incidents like the Costa Concordia have occurred, causing the death of 32 passengers. The process of retiring a cruise ship involves the sinking of old ships, which is not an everyday event. Some cruise ships have been intentionally sunk to create artificial reefs for marine life and scuba divers. The best case scenario for an old cruise ship is being sold to a smaller corporation and beginning a new life. Ships can also be purchased by other companies.

As ships age, cruise lines have several choices, including extensively refurbishing and relocating vessels to smaller, less popular regions; transferring ships to artificial reefs for recreational diving, or transferring them to smaller, less popular regions. Most naval ships are sunk to create artificial reefs for recreational diving, though there are a few exceptions such as small cruise ships.

Old cruise ships end up in the scrapyard, with some living a multitude of lives before being taken apart. They are either scrapped (dismantled), scuttled (deliberately sunk) or decommissioned from cruising service, permanently berthed and turned into luxury dockside hotels or ship-museums. Scuttling (deliberate ship sinking) is conducted by allowing seawater to flow into the vessel’s hull. Few boats are sunk, and they go to breakers to be disassembled and parts and materials recycled.

All cruise ships will be retired and scrapped, with the exception of a few beloved vessels like the Queen Mary, which are turned into hotels. The scrapping process involves workers breaking up the ship, but some cruise ships survive the so-called cruise ship graveyard and are converted into hotels or are even intentionally sunk to the bottom.