Up to 10,000 holidaymakers have had summer sailings cancelled after Irish Ferries said it may not take delivery of its new ferry, the WB Yeats, before July, writes Niamh Nolan.
In a statement the company said it has contacted people booked on sailings between 12 and 29 July to inform them their sailings have been cancelled.
A spokesman for the company told RTÉ News the delayed arrival of the WB Yeats ship is a set-back but it is confident it can accommodate booked passengers during the July period on sailings from Rosslare aboard the Oscar Wilde.
He said Irish Ferries had blocked off space on the Oscar Wilde for affected passengers.
If spaces are not available the company will offer a full refund.
Those affected were contacted by email yesterday and offered a €150 voucher as a goodwill gesture from the company for use on future sailings.
The company said the delayed delivery of the new vessel is not yet fully confirmed.
However it had made the decision to cancel sailings "in the interests of minimising the level of potential disruption to our customers".
