The yacht will pick up the planned schedule; itineraries are not changing.
COVID disruptions
'Between supply chain and labor issues, there's been quite a bit of disruption. Things are moving well now. We're making good progress,' CEO Doug Prothero told Seatrade Cruise News.
October, November and December were especially challenging with COVID-19 variants leading to worker quarantines and supply chain slowdowns. 'We had everyone on our team and most of our suppliers in quarantine. It was quite a thing to manage,' Prothero said. Things are now normalizing.
'We've got good momentum,' he said.
Third-party audit
An audit by a third-party engineering firm led to the new completion timetable.
Evirma remains at Astander Shipyard in Santander, Spain, where some 500 to 600 workers are onboard, a number that's climbing as the days go by and likely will peak at 900 before delivery, Prothero said. The workers are from Spain and all over Europe.
Suite photos to come
A professional will soon be photographing the guest suites so The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection can share images. To date, the company has not released any interior photos.
Impacted customers were being notified of the delay on Monday and offered the chance to rebook or receive an immediate refund.
'People are understanding,' according to Prothero, because there are so many uncertainties in the world now.
Sea Cloud Cruises
He had no update on the plan to acquire Sea Cloud Cruises, stating that deal is still in due diligence. Prothero's maritime investment company The Yacht Portfolio — which is also behind The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection — announced a letter of intent to buy the tall ship company one month ago.
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