Seabourn has delayed the date for the first voyage of its new purpose-built, luxury expedition ship, Seabourn Venture.

The 264-passenger ship – which is being constructed at the T.Mariotti shipyard in Genoa, Italy – had been due to launch in December 2021 but will now depart on its maiden voyage from Greenwich, London, on 10 April 2022.

The line said in a statement that the decision was because of “pandemic disruptions and related supply chain challenges”.

Seabourn president Josh Leibowitz said: “We had the opportunity to visit Seabourn Venture at the T. Mariotti shipyard and were amazed at the design and beauty of the ship. The ship will now launch in time for the inaugural summer season in the North Pole in 2022.”

Guests currently booked on Seabourn Venture voyages scheduled to depart between 11 December 2021 – 24 April 2022 will receive more details about cancellations specific to their booking.

The ship will sail two new itineraries around the UK, including the inaugural voyage from London, and those voyages will go on sale on 19 August 2021.

Seabourn Venture’s sister ship is also under construction at T. Mariotti. Both  will be designed and built for diverse environments to PC6 Polar Class standards and will include “modern hardware and technology” that will extend the ships’ global deployment and capabilities, according to the line.

Each will carry two custom-built submarines, 24 zodiacs, kayaks and a 26-person expert expedition team.