Pullmantur Cruceros' three cruiseships may be headed for the scrapyard while the Spanish owner faces insolvency amid the Covid-19 downturn, according to a prominent Miami cruise lawyer.

The company, owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises and Cruise Investment Holdings, on Monday said it was filing for reorganisation under Spanish insolvency laws.

"Despite the great progress the company made to achieve a turnaround in 2019 and its huge engagement and best efforts of its dedicated employees, the headwinds caused by the pandemic are too strong for Pullmantur to overcome without a reorganisation," the company's board of directors said Monday in a statement on its website.