Royal Caribbean to Transfer Monarch of the Seas to Pullmantur

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will transfer Monarch of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International to its Pullmantur brand, a cruise and tour operator based in Madrid. The ship will make the move on April 1, 2013, following its last sailing for Royal Caribbean, which departs on March 29, 2013.

With the incorporation of Monarch of the Seas, Pullmantur will increase its total guest capacity by nearly 25 percent. ‘‘The transfer of Monarch of the Seas will reinforce Pullmantur in our Latin American growth strategy, and help us become one of the most widely recognized brands,’’ said Gonzalo Chico Barbier, Pullmantur president and CEO.

Monarch of the Seas was built at Chantiers de L’Atlantique (now STX France) in St. Nazaire, France and sailed its maiden voyage on November 17, 1991. The ship is part of the Sovereign class of cruise ships, which were the world’s largest at the time.

Pullmantur is a Spanish tour operator and cruise company, founded in 1971, and currently operates four vessels with a daily passenger capacity of 9,000 worldwide. The company has an in-house air travel division with a fleet of four Boeing 747-400s. Pullmantur Air provides charter flights to European cruise embarkation ports and long-haul flights between Spain and the Caribbean for the company’s tour-operation division.