Ambassadors International is still searching for a buyer for Majestic America Line, five months after CFO Blake Barnett said the river cruise line would be sold by the end of 2008.

That statement, however, was made when the current financial maelstrom was just a ripple.

Majestic hasn’t booked a single cruise past Dec. 31, 2008, CEO Joe Ueberroth has said, and when Cruise Industry News asked Monday whether a buyer had been identified, a company spokeswoman said: “We’re still in the sales process.”

Back in May, Ueberroth said 2008 had been a rough year for Majestic: A fire on the Queen of the West caused a scheduling snafu; high water on the Mississippi held back the Delta Queen; and Congress didn’t extend benefits to exempt the wooden-deck boat from safety regulations, meaning it would have to stop operating by Oct. 31. (A year ago, it was the accidental grounding of the Empress of the North near Juneau that troubled the line.)

Ueberroth announced last month that he will step down as president and CEO of Ambassadors in September 2009. A company spokeswoman declined to comment beyond saying Ueberroth would continue his current responsibilities while helping find a proper successor.