Russian shipping company Vodohod has confirmed that the delivery of its newest river cruise ship has been postponed to the fourth quarter of this year as the vessel still needs to undergo additional design changes.
Vodohod said that adjustments will be incorporated in the final design of the Project 00840 river cruise ship Nikolay Zharkov because of what it claims are difficulties in sourcing some of the required components.
The company said sanctions restrictions have adversely impacted the supply of components needed in the construction of the vessel.
Representatives of state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) have assured that the necessary components have been purchased and that construction of the ship is proceeding in line with the adjusted schedule.
Because of the postponed delivery, guests who have already booked cruises on Nikolay Zharkov for 2025 will be given the option to have their trips rescheduled on the same ship to 2026, to continue with their 2025 bookings on other cruise ships in the Vodohod fleet, or receive a full refund.
Nikolay Zharkov is the first ship to be built under Project 00840. Three ships in the series are under various stages of construction at USC's Krasnoye Sormovo facilities.
The Project 00840 ships will be capable of navigating in rivers and the open sea.