Saga Cruises has postponed a special trade preview of its latest ship due to delays at its German shipyard as a result of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The Spirit of Adventure sailing had originally been scheduled for 11 August.

Saga Cruises head of trade sales, Iain Powell, said: “Regrettably, the Mayer Werft shipyard in Germany, where she is being built, has informed us that the ship will not be delivered in time for this event.

“Progress has been severely impacted by the workforce and travel restrictions in place as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and in particular those in Europe.

“Supplies of the materials and the movement of labour has been severely restricted over the last three months.

“This means that production has not advanced at the rate necessary to hand over the ship in line with the planned delivery date and we must therefore postpone the VIP trade cruise.”

Powell added: “At this stage, it is unclear whether we will be able to reschedule the VIP trade cruise.

“Rest assured we will in some way provide the opportunity for as many of our key partners to come and see our very exciting new ship.

“I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support. The last few months have been incredibly some of the most challenging our industry has faced and I’m incredibly thankful for the support, understanding and patience you have shown us.”

Saga has suspended all sailings until the end of August. Passengers due to sail on Spirit of Discovery are being contacted by Saga’s guest services team. The suspension of sailings has also impacted the British cruise line’s plans for Saga Sapphire’s farewell season.

The cruise line recently released 39 new itineraries as part of its 2021 boutique collection for Spirit of Discovery and Adventure.

Visit travel.saga.co.uk for more information.