The Villa Vie Odyssey had already spent an unscheduled four months in Belfast undergoing repairs. Advertisement Advertisement Last night Mike Petterson, the chief executive of owners Villa Vie Residences, said the liner would finally leave Belfast today. He said yesterday’s delay had been due to some uncompleted administrative paperwork.
Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Belfast News Letter, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. The liner has captured headlines around the world as it was due to launch in Belfast in May, in what was thought to be the first perpetual world cruise, visiting 147 countries in 3.5 years.
Advertisement Advertisement It finally launched to great media interest late on Monday night, but it was anchored in Belfast Lough all day yesterday. Mr Petterson told the News Letter at 8pm yesterday that they were awaiting a technical explanation from a Finnish marine technology company for a tiny unexpected bend in the ship’s structure – about the thickness of a human hair – that has been there since it was launched 30 years ago. He said it was possible the ship might dock in Belfast briefly before heading to France today.
Advertisement Advertisement “We’re enjoying a day at sea, and the residents are quite pleased,” he told the News Letter. “We are waiting on a technical explanation by Wartsila on a 0.009mm deflection deviation tha.