THE coming of Southampton cruise ship Queen Victoria is to be delayed by three months.
Originally, the 85,000-ton Cunard vessel, which will be dedicated to the British cruise market and based in Southampton, was scheduled to begin operation at the beginning of 2005. She will now enter service in April 2005.
Cunard's parent company, Carnival Corporation, which has its headquarters in Miami, Florida, has just combined with Southampton-based P&O Prin-cess Cruises. It has a total of 17 new ships on order to be delivered between now and mid-2006.
Micky Arison, Carnival's chairman and chief executive officer, said: "Slowing down the delivery schedule gives us a more rational and efficient timetable to absorb additional capacity.''
Queen Victoria is being constructed at Fincantieri's Monfal-cone yard in Italy where 11 of the 17 ships are under contract.
Her keel-laying is expected to take place in a few months' time.
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