Two cargo ships moored in Bermuda for the past few days are here to undergo name and ownership changes.

The roll-on/roll-off car carriers, Viking Odessa and Viking Oslo, have been sighted in local waters — most recently in the Great Sound.

It came a week after a similar vessel, the Grendi Futura, docked at the East End for engine repairs.

The 140-metre Odessa was built in 2009 and sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands, while the identical Oslo, under the same flag, was completed a year later.

Joe Simas, vice-president of marine operations at Meyer Agencies, told The Royal Gazette the vessels had come to Bermuda for a renaming under new ownership.

The Viking Odessa will soon be known as the Polaris Star, while the Viking Oslo is set to change to Polaris Oslo.

Mr Simas explained the ships needed to travel to a foreign port to change names, adding that it was not the first time this had happened in Bermuda.

Both vessels are due to depart this weekend.