Classic International Cruises’ planned Australian 2012 cruise program will not be going forward, after company administrators failed to find a replacement ship for Athena. THE company struck trouble over the past couple of months due to a number of its vessels, including Athena, having been impounded in various ports in...
Classic International Cruises’
planned Australian 2012 cruise
program will not be going
forward, after company
administrators failed to find a
replacement ship for Athena.
THE company struck trouble over the past
couple of months due to a number of its
vessels, including Athena, having been
impounded in various ports in Europe for
failure to pay bills.
Last week the company was put into
administration under Lawler Partners,
however CIC Australia, which is not associated
with the bad debt, moved to quell agent and
consumer fears saying that whilst future
bookings were on hold, the administrators
were continuing to source a suitable vessel to
replace Athena, for the 2012-13 season.
This plan has however come akimbo, with
Lawler Partners announcing yesterday that it is
unable to secure a replacement ship.
According to the WA Australian Department
of Commerce more than 5,000 passengers
throughout Australia have booked on 20
Athena cruises departing from Australian
ports, most from Fremantle, up until Apr 2013.
It is believed most passengers have already
paid deposits of 40%.
As a result of the collapse, the WA Department
of Commerce is now recommending booked
guests whose deposits have been transferred
by their agent to CIC, to contact the Travel
Compensation Fund (TCF), which covers
financial failure of travel agents, to pursue a
claim, as CIC Australia was a licensed travel agent.
Meanwhile, speaking to CW in the wake of
the collapse, TCF Legal and Policy Advisor
Garry Dellar has said that at present the
organisation is unsure of the exact
compensation dollar figure that the TCF is
facing, but that it could potentially run into the
millions.
“We have no real data or information that
tells us what we could be up for,” he said,
adding that the TCF will however get a better
grip on the situation after a meeting of
creditors set to be held in Sydney on Monday
with Lawler Partners.
At present, Dellar confirmed that the TCF
has received 20 claims amounting to $82,000,
but that with 5,000 cruisers having paid
deposits or full fares, that figure will likely
jump considerably in the near future.
Dellar also said that Lawler Partners is
currently looking into a CIC Trust Account, to
see whether it is a true trust account, meaning
the money within belongs to passengers, or an
asset of CIC.
Speaking about the future of CIC Dellar also
said that “it looks like the company is heading
into liquidation winding up mode”.
