NEW YORK -- Royal Olympic Cruise Lines' long-awaited ship, the
Olympia Explorer, will begin regularly scheduled service May 3 from
Piraeus, Greece.
The line said April 15 it reached an agreement with Blohm+Voss
on the delivery of the vessel.
"We have worked hard over many months to be in a position to
offer ROC passengers, agents and the market an outstanding cruise
product," said Royal Olympic chief executive Officer Yiannos
Pantazis. "This has now become possible due to the agreements we
have reached with the shipyard."
The 836-passenger ship, a sister ship to the Olympia Voyager,
will cruise the Greek Isles and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Delivery of the ship from Blohm+Voss shipyard was originally
slated for April 27, 2001, but an ongoing dispute between Royal
Olympic and the yard on the "technical modifications" of the ship
led to the nearly year-long delay.