Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has had to cancel the next scheduled departure of new ship Borealis because of a technical fault.

The ship – which set sail on its maiden voyage on 5 July – had been due to depart on the five-night Scenic Orkney and Faroe Islands cruise from Liverpool this weekend. The ship is currently in Portsmouth.

However, the line said an issue with the on-board technology – and the time needed to rectify it – had forced it to cancel the sailing.

Guests due to board are being offered the chance to rebook for a 2021 cruise or receive a full refund.

In a statement on social media, Fred Olsen said: “It has been confirmed that we will not now arrive in Liverpool at the time we had planned. Our technical team continue to work to resolve the issue. However, this delay unfortunately means we are unable to embark guests on our next cruise (Scenic Orkney and Faroe Islands) as planned, and we have therefore made the very difficult decision to cancel the sailing.

“We know how disappointed our guests will be, especially at such late notice, and we are so very sorry. Our team are now making calls to all guests who are affected, so please bear with us, we will be in touch very soon.

“We recently upgraded our on board technology, and although in our sea trials this worked perfectly, we have since identified a potential issue which we are working hard to resolve.”

Borealis features a number of new venues and facilities, including a grand, two-tier theatre and main restaurant, an all-weather pool with retractable roof, a large spa and thermal suite and new venue offering culinary demonstrations and more.

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines head of sales Geoff Ridgeon recently spoke to Cruise Trade News about how the line’s new ships – Bolette and Borealis – provide “a unique sales opportunity” for agents.