German cruise line Aida Cruises was forced to reshuffle its itinerary for the winter season 2015/2016 after the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) shipyard in Nagasaki, Japan, announced that it is not able to deliver AIDAprima in September as previously planned.

AIDAprima is one of two identical cruise ships Aida Cruises ordered at MHI back in 2011. The ships have 124,500 GRT, are 300 meters in length and 37.60 meters wide, with space for around 3,300 passengers, and were initially scheduled for delivery in March of 2015 and March of 2016, respectively.

Aida Cruises planned to launch AIDAprima on a maiden voyage from Yokohama to Dubai in October. MHI did not disclose the reasons for the delay, and the new delivery date is yet to be announced.

AIDAstella, previously planned in the Western Mediterranean, will take over the voyages originally planned with AIDAprima from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, between November 2015 and March 2016.

AIDAprima will take up its Metropolitan cruises from Hamburg in April, 2016, as planned. AIDAprima’s christening will also be held in Hamburg, the line said.

“We deeply regret that we are not able to offer our guests the vacation they were hoping for as we had planned. All impacted guests will be informed and of course be offered alternatives and generous compensations. We are firmly convinced that we will be getting a first-class ship that will set new standards and exceed guest expectations with its product innovations, top-notch quality, and even more services,” Michael Ungerer, President AIDA Cruises, said.

(From: World Maritime News)