Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has issued a statement confirming the first two cruises aboard the new Hanseatic Nature have been cancelled due to a delayed delivery by the shipbuilder VARD.

Thus, the ship will enter service on May 5 in Hamburg.

“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to our guests. We would very much like to welcome you onboard. However, the shipyard can not finish the ship in time, so unfortunately we have no other option than to change the original travel plan,” said Karl J. Pojer, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

Guests on the effected voyages will receive a refund and 50 percent future cruise voucher, valid for any Hapag-Lloyd Cruise through September 2021. 

Travel agents will receive their commission for the original booking.

The new $155 million ship  is targeted at the German-speaking market. With capacity for 230 guests, the ship will carry just 200 in Polar Regions to allow for optimal landing site access. It is one of three ships in the company’s newbuild program. 

Later this year the Hanseatic Nature follows, and will offer a bilingual product aboard, also targeting English-speaking markets.

A third ship, the Hanseatic Nature, targeted to the German source markets, follows in 2021.

The trio of expedition ships will complete Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet upgrade. The Hanseatic left the fleet last year and the smaller Bremen will exit in May of 2021.

The newbuilds are being constructed at VARD with hull and steel completed at VARD facilities in Romania before final outfitting in Norway.

The three new Hanseatics will join the pair of ultra-luxury Europas, which offer a six-star ocean-going product. The Europa is arguably more formal, with a full German product aboard. The Europa 2 is a bit more casual, while still commanding extremely high ticket prices, and sold in both the German and international markets.

Earlier this year, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises announced that it will only be burning low-sulfur marine gas oil (MGO) on the Hanseatic Nature, Hanseatic Inspiration and Bremen from July 2020, as well as the Hanseatic Spirit, set to join the fleet in 2021.