Virgin Voyages has announced it is pushing back its launch until October 16th.

The new line had initially hoped to set sail in the spring, but the move was cancelled as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

A new date was set for August 7th, but this has now been delayed again, with a number of redundancies reported at the company.

In order to rebuild trust, ‘sailors’ - the cloying name the company uses for passengers - on affected voyages will receive a 200 per cent future cruise credit.

Passengers booked on affected voyages aboard Scarlet Lady, the first ship from the brand, also have the option to request a 100 per cent refund.

This will come with a 25 per cent future cruise credit to be used on a future booking.

Passengers who choose to use their future cruise credit on a new booking made prior to June 30th will also receive up to $500 onboard credit.

Virgin Voyages also revealed that the official naming ceremony and maiden voyage for Scarlet Lady will now take place in early 2021 but did not set a date.

The company appears to have taken its website offline in the interim.