The cruise line, which has six ships and was scheduled to expand with two more next year, is known for its deals, affordable short cruises, and other discounts. With nearly 4,000 employees and an expected 200,000 passengers by 2021, South Quay Travel & Leisure Limited, formerly known as Cruise & Maritime Voyages, was placed into administration on July 20, 2020, due to the shutdown caused by COVID-19. Paul Williams, Phil Dakin, and Edward Bines of Duff & Phelps Ltd. are now the Joint Administrators, tasked with assessing the company's current financial situation.
Administrators Duff & Phelps have announced the immediate cessation of CMV's business, including the operations of its international sales offices in Australia, France, the United States and TransOcean Kreuzfahrten in Germany.
The Essex-based company operated a fleet of veteran ships from Tilbury—owned by Global Cruise Lines—including the 74-year-old Astoria and Marco Polo, built in 1966, as well as the Magellan, Astor, and Colón from the 1980s, and the relatively new Vasco da Gama from 1993. In 2021, the new Amy Johnson and Ida Pfeiffer, two ships purchased from P&O Australia, joined the fleet. Due to the unprecedented situation, CMV was ultimately unable to sustain the cost of maintaining its six ships during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CMV CEO Christian Verhounig commented that the line had a record year of operations in 2019, but added: “CMV’s journey has been tragically disrupted by this unprecedented global pandemic. We were unable to secure the financing agreement in time to save this wonderful business. We deeply regret the disappointment of our loyal employees, our business partners and travel suppliers, who have patiently supported us, and our valued customers for the disruption to their cruise holiday plans. On behalf of the CMV family, directors, and shareholders, I would like to thank everyone for their tremendous support and sincerely apologize for these circumstances, which are directly related to Covid-19 and beyond our control.”
CMW also states on its website: “We regret to inform you that South Quay Travel Limited (“SQTL”) – which operated under the name Cruise & Maritime Voyages – was taken into administration on July 20, 2020. “The information below outlines the procedure to follow for customers with bookings in the UK:
- All pending reservations are cancelled
- For bookings made for package holidays without flights, these are protected by ABTA or by your credit or debit card issuer.
- If your booking includes flights, you should contact the CAA as your booking is protected by the CAA's ATOL scheme.
