French Cruise Company Compagnie Française de Croisières (CFC), has announced a delay in its start-up, pushing its debut to May from February with the Renaissance, which is currently undergoing work at Damen in Brest, France.

The ex-Holland America Line ship was acquired by the company earlier this year.

According to CFC’s President, Clément Mousset, the delay is due to a “force majeure” situation caused by political issues in Europe, specifically Russia, and is not related to Damen.

The ship will now be named at a christening ceremony in Le Havre on May 10, followed by a 10-night cruise on May 14.

All cruises scheduled between February 10 and May 14 have been cancelled, including the highly popular Northern Europe itineraries that were fully booked.

Instead, CFC is offering two options to impacted guests: a full refund or a booking into the newly scheduled program, which includes a long itinerary to Africa in 2025 and two new itineraries in January 2024, with the original 2023 program being postponed until February 2024.