A Finnish businessman is reported to be close to sign a deal with Louis Cruises, the Cyprus based cruise shipping company in the Louis Group, to buy the 26,000 gross ton cruise liner Louis Cristal.

Johnny Sid, the Turku based entrepreneur, plans to operate the ship on short cruises from Turku to Tallinn, Riga Bornholm and Visby under the Finnish flag, Finnish media reports say. The cruises should start already in the coming summer.

The ship was built as a cruise ferry in 1980 and five years later it was refitted to operate short cruises from Helsinki. A major fire at a Swedish shipyard in 1990 resulted in the ship being totally rebuilt. However, four years later it ran aground and was severely damaged.

Again repaired, it was used on charter by Norwegian Cruise Line and Star Cruises before return to the Baltic as Silja Opera in 2003. Problems at Silja Line’s owner Sea Containers put the vessel out of business as Louis acquired it as replacement of Sea Diamond that sank after grounding in 2007.