The line, which acquired ships Bolette and Borealis in July 2020, said that although 924-passenger Braemar’s size offered “many benefits”, it also brought “constraints that are not aligned with where we now want to be as a business”.

“It is with that in mind, and after much deliberation, that we have made the difficult decision not to bring Braemar back into service with us, and in the coming weeks will be seeking a new owner for her,” the line said. 

“We have a small team of crew who have been taking great care of her while she has been in Scotland, and these crew will all be redeployed across our fleet so that we can retain their talent and expertise.

“We know this news will be disappointing for many of our guests who have come to love Braemar just as much as we do, and particularly those with an upcoming cruise, and we are so sorry that this does impact on our schedule for 2023 and 2024,” Fred Olsen added.

The line confirmed it had contacted all impacted guests due to sail onboard Braemar, offering the chance to transfer to another sailing with a future cruise voucher, or a full refund.

Fred Olsen said that “whilst we are really sorry to see Braemar leave our fleet” the company was “excited for new opportunities as we continue to evolve”.