Brit James Griffiths will helm the delayed Scenic Eclipse when it launches in August.

The 228-guest ship was scheduled to sail in August last year but problems at the shipyard in Croatia have caused multiple delays.

Its first sailing is the Iceland & Atlantic Canada voyage, departing 15 August, followed by sailings down the eastern seaboard of North America.

Griffiths has worked on 12 ships in his career, commanding six of them, and has visited more than 105 countries. He was recently expedition captain with Windstar and captain of Lindblad’s National Geographic Explorer.

“Scenic Eclipse is setting an entirely new standard in the cruise and expedition industry,” said Griffiths. “She is the first cruise ship to truly combine [a] ‘go anywhere/see everything’ ability.

“I am genuinely excited to see how guests will react to Scenic Eclipse. She is designed to exceed expectations. Everyone will take away something different; perhaps a journey to a shipwreck in our submarine, a flight over a glacier with one of our highly trained pilots in a helicopter, maybe watching the sunrise on the bridge with one of our Deck Officers, or memories of the excellent dining venues.

“For my crew, I have been delighted how quick the very best people in the industry have been to join me on board Scenic Eclipse.

“Scenic is not your average multi-national faceless company – it really does feel like a family, so serving our guests on board a ship like Scenic Eclipse will be a career highlight for many.”

Scenic recently revealed the first interior images of the custom-designed submarine that will operate on Scenic Eclipse.