The Haimark river and coastal cruise operations have been
bought by VC2 Capital, a Los Angeles-based private equity company.
VC2 Capital said it signed a definitive agreement to
acquire Haimark Ltd., Haimark Line Ltd., Haimark S.A. Ltd. and Haimark Affinity
Travel Ltd.
The companies operate eight river cruise vessels in
India, Southeast Asia and on the Amazon River. Haimark Line has offered coastal
and inland cruising on the Great Lakes and Canada/New England, and has plans to
operate cruises between Miami and Cuba starting in February.
The coastal cruise operation filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy protection after its vessel, the Saint Laurent, struck a lock wall
last summer. A dispute over insurance liability between the ship’s owner and
its operator was the catalyst for the Chapter 11 filing, which is ongoing.
VC2 is an affiliate of Vert Capital Corp., and its
managing directors are Adam Levin and Michael Pope.
In a press release, Levin said VC2 plans to retain
Haimark’s top management, including Markus Leskovar and Hans Rood.
"The luxury small-ship concept is one of the fastest-growing
segments within the travel sector and will be an integral part of our investment
strategy complementing our other travel related investments,” Levin said.
"We believe the entire team from Haimark, with their
entrepreneurial vision, commitment to high customer service and focus on
company culture, is a perfect platform for us to build upon.”
Rood said the acquisition provides an infusion of energy,
expertise and capital. "This
transaction and funding allows us to launch our previously announced sailings
to Cuba from Miami and to continue our best-in-class travel experience,” he
said.
On its website, Haimark lists the first cruise Cuba
cruise as departing Feb. 11.
The status of Saint Laurent, owned by Clipper Group,
remains up in the air, however. In an e-mail Rood said Haimark is currently
finalizing the Saint Laurent deployment and “this might take a few more days to
get finalized.”
None of the river cruise operations were involved in the
Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.