German cruise operator Phoenix Reisen announced on October 22 that Oceania Cruises' Insignia will join its fleet as Alvara in November 2027.
The addition will bring the Bonn-based company's oceangoing fleet to four vessels, alongside Amadea, Amera and Artania.
The 181-metre ship will enter Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven in September 2027. There she will receive Phoenix's livery and a series of onboard modifications to bring her in line with the operator's existing ships. Phoenix plans to carry approximately 700 guests per voyage.
Managing director Benjamin Krumpen said the vessel was in "excellent technical condition" and was already fitted with a shore power connection.
Longstanding Phoenix partners BSM and sea chefs will provide ship management and hotel services respectively. German publication Schiffe und Kreuzfahrten reported that the ship is being sold to BSM and will be chartered to Phoenix. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Alvara will begin with three introductory roundtrips from Hamburg to the Netherlands, the English Channel and Scandinavia, starting on November 11, 2027.
Her christening will take place in Hamburg on November 26, coinciding with the 54th anniversary of Phoenix's founding.
The vessel was built in 1998 as R One for Renaissance Cruises and has sailed for Oceania as Insignia since 2003. A planned long-term charter to residential cruise operator Crescent Seas, announced in April 2025, was cancelled later that year.