This week’s announcement that Oceania Cruises is adding to its fleet has sparked speculation over the future of smaller rival Azamara Club Cruises .

Oceania – recently taken over by Norwegian Cruise Line – is buying Ocean Princess for £52million and will spend another £25million updating the former Princess Cruises vessel before it sails its first voyage under the new flag in April 2016.

The 684-passenger ship – one of eight identical R class vessels built for the now-defunct Renaissance Cruises between 1998 and 2001 – joins sister ships Insignia, Nautica and Regatta at Oceania.

Azamara, part of the Royal Caribbean International group, operates another two former R-ships and company president Larry Pimentel has made no secret of his ambitions for growth.

But although the remaining two R ships – Pacific Princess and P&O’s Adonia – may also be for sale, insiders believe Azamara may be looking to build a brand new vessel rather than buy second-hand.

P&GO:

Will Azamara build a brand new vessel or make a bid for P&O’s Adonia? 

Pimentel’s problem is that Royal Caribbean’s ambitions appear to favour much bigger vessels. The tentatively-named Oasis 3, sister to the two biggest cruises ships in the world, will carry more than 6,000 passengers, and the new-design Anthem of the Seas, coming to Southampton next April, has capacity for well over 4,000.

Not only does he have to persuade the company board to spend millions on a new ship which will barely hold more people than one of Anthem’s lifeboats, he also has to face up to the fact that it could be three years before the extra capacity is available.

Wall Street analyst Tim Conder, of Wells Fargo Securities, speculated that Norwegian might be in the market for Pacific Princess and Adonia to further grow Oceania over the next six to 18 months.

The line also operates two newer ships, the 1,250-passenger Marina and Riviera.