A charter of a new ship is cancelled due to worn-out equipment.

Upmarket tour operators Abercrombie & Kent were forced to cancel a fully booked charter cruise onboard Compagnie du Ponant’s MV Le Boreal, after testing showed some potential mechanical problems.

The cruise line alerted A&K, which has chartered the ship for its Antarctic season, that routine checks had shown “some signs of wear and suggested some parts be replaced and that additional tests be run,” although Le Boreal is less than a year old, having been launched in May last year.

In a prepared statement the cruise line was vague about exactly which parts needed replacing and said that the decision to cancel the cruise was “in the interests of our guests safety.”

Passengers were allegedly told on December 30 that the 15-night cruise would be cancelled and that they would receive a refund or discount for a future cruise as well as reimbursement of travel expenses.

So far Le Boreal’s January 19 sailing is still scheduled to depart.