Villa Vie Residences' ship Odyssey (fka Fred Olsen's Braemar from 2001 to 2024) arrived in Belfast (Northern Ireland) on April 28th after an extended layup at Leith Docks, where she had remained since before the COVID crisis. Upon arrival, the vessel entered drydock at Harland & Wolff (H&W) for refit and maintenance.
Initially, the vessel was scheduled to depart from Southampton on a round-the-world cruise on May 15th, but this was later rescheduled several times from Belfast. However, as of early August, Villa Vie Odyssey remained in Belfast, ~3 months after the arrival.
The delay was reportedly due to the need for new rudder stocks, which required manufacturing and contributed significantly to postponing her return to service.
The 1993-built ship was floated on July 24th and moved to the repair quay on August 2nd. Current projections suggest that the Odyssey will depart Belfast on August 31st.
Villa Vie Residences is still awaiting final certification from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and a classification society before the vessel can commence operations.