Metropolis Cruise, a Hong Kong-based casino cruise player, is down to one ship after selling what was once the pride of the fleet for scrap.

Industry sources said the 17,300-gt Metropolis (built 1972) has been handed over to a cash buyer and is being prepared for its delivery voyage to Alang in north-western India.

Hong Kong Marine Department records show that the ship has been reflagged in St Kitts & Nevis and its name has been shortened to Ropolis, a common practice for scrap-bound vessels.