Costa Crociere today confirmed the Costa Victoria will leave the Chinese market and return to Europe with Balearic Islands voyages starting in late March 2018.

The bigger news however, is the company said that the Costa neoClassica will leave the fleet in March.

The Victoria will take over the neoRiviera’s itinerary program, while the neoRiviera will assume the neoClassica’s program

The neoClassica was built in 1991 and is the oldest ship in the Costa fleet. Costa did not name a buyer for the ship.

On Carnival Corporation’s second quarter earnings call earlier this summer, President and CEO Arnold Donald said: “We’re in conversation for additional ship sales and expect to remain on track with our historical pace of removing an average of one to two ships per year from our fleet.”

“Awaiting the arrival of four new ships starting from 2019, which will permit Costa Cruises to grow further in Europe and Asia (two ships are for the Costa Cruises market and two for Costa Asia), the Italian company has accelerated the renewal of its fleet, formalizing the transfer of Costa neoClassica, one of its longest-serving ships. As of March 10 2018, once its schedule of cruises between India and the Maldives is complete, Costa neoClassica will no longer be part of the Costa fleet,” said Costa.

Before returning to operate in the Mediterranean, the Costa Victoria will drydock at Chantier Naval de Marseille.

Itinerary wise, the Victoria will offer a week-long program with port calls in Savona, Olbia, Minorca, Ibiza (overnight), Palma de Mallorca and Tarragona (overnight).