The luxury liner that has been stuck in Belfast, Northern Ireland for four months and was due to start a year-long cruise on Tuesday is already at anchor. The paperwork is not yet in order. The departure had already been postponed twice before.
The 125 passengers were finally allowed to board on Monday evening for the long-awaited departure. But a few kilometers outside the harbor the ship dropped anchor again.
The cruise operator, Villa Vie Residences, confirmed Tuesday that there was still “paperwork to be completed” before the ship could actually set sail. The vessel was originally scheduled to weigh anchor at 11 p.m. Tuesday , but it was still in the same spot Wednesday morning.
The Villa Vie Odyssey was originally scheduled to depart on May 30 for a 3.5-year world voyage. However, the ship ran aground due to defects and needed repairs. Some cruisers were stranded in Belfast for the entire summer.
The 31-year-old ship had been lying idle for four years before the cruise line took it over. The vessel is expected to depart on Wednesday afternoon, reports the Belfast Telegraph , among others .
