Celebrity Cruises is to acquire Galapagos Islands tour operator Ocean Adventures.
The deal includes the operator’s two ships, the 48-guest ship M/V Eclipse and the 16-guest catamaran M/C Athala II.
Celebrity has operated its 100-guest Celebrity Xpedition in the Galapagos for more than 10 years.
The acquisition will give it 64 additional permits for these highly-protected waters and will allow it to increase capacity there by 65%.
Celebrity said the ships’ smaller sizes will give customers the choice of a more intimate sailing experience.
It will also allow Celebrity to feature additional destinations, including Puerto Villamil, Darwin Bay, Black Turtle Cove, Chinese Hat Islet, and Wall of Tears.
The two ships will join the Celebrity fleet in the spring, pending the closing of the deal.
They will continue to operate as they are until going into drydock in January 2017 for a refresh and will then sail as part of Celebrity fleet.
Celebrity said all existing bookings will remain unchanged both before and after the drydock.
Ben Dod, president of Ocean Adventures, said: "After 16 years of building Ocean Adventures into the one of the leading operators in the Galapagos Islands, we are proud to have caught the attention of a world-class cruise company like Celebrity and proud to be part of their ambitious plans to expand in the region."
