As feared, Cruise & Maritime Voyages has become a victim of the Covid pandemic and ceased operations with immediate effect.
The company’s demise comes after celebrating record trading in 2019 and booming sales for 2020 and 2021.
Paul Williams, Phil Dakin and Edward Bines of Duff & Phelps have been appointed Joint Administrators of CMV and sister companies South Quay Travel & Leisure Ltd, Independent Coach Travel (Wholesaling) Ltd and Viceroy Ltd.
International sales offices in Australia, France, the United States and TransOcean Kreuzfahrten in Germany have also ceased trading.
Administration is likely to result in the redundancy of the UK employees and an uncertain future for those employees in the wider group.
Christian Verhounig, CMV’s Chief Executive said: “Only last year CMV was celebrating a record trading year and our first decade in cruising but the CMV journey has tragically been cut short by this unprecedented global pandemic.
“Prior to the onset of Covid-19, we had sold nearly 90 per cent of 2020 capacity and we had bullish prospects for the future having sold nearly 50 per cent of 2021 UK capacity.
“Despite this positive forward booking position, we could just not get the financing deal over the line in time to save this wonderful business.”
He added: “On behalf of the CMV family, Directors and Shareholders, I would like to thank everyone for their great support and sincerely apologise for these circumstances which are directly related to Covid-19 and beyond our control.”
When Covid-19 struck earlier this year CMV managed to repatriate crew, passengers and six ships from around the world back to their home ports in the UK without one single reported Covid-19 case. Image, above, courtesy of CMV, shows three of its ships laid up by the pandemic.
Spain’s Pullmantur Cruises and Sweden’s short cruise operator Birka Cruises have also foundered because of the Covid crisis.
Further details on how affected Cruise & Maritime Voyages customers can make a claim can be found on the CMV website www.cruiseandmaritime.com