The two largest cruise ships in the fleet of failed Genting Hong Kong subsidiary Crystal Cruises have been sold for a combined $128m at a Bahamas auction.

Unconfirmed reports have also began to emerge suggesting that Genting’s liquidators have sold Crystal’s 20,500-gt expedition cruise ship Crystal Endeavor (built 2021) to Royal Caribbean Group’s upmarket brand Silversea Cruises.

Industry sources believe the prices obtained for the 68,900-gt Crystal Serenity (built 2003) and 51,000-gt Crystal Symphony (built 1995) indicate a growing confidence in the future prospects of the cruise industry, where until recently ships of their vintage were being sold for further trading at not much...