Peter Deilmann’s UK office will continue to operate as usual until the end of the European river cruise season in October 2009.
Speaking the day after news broke that the company’s river cruise operation has been put into administration UK Managing director Stuart Perl said Peter Deilmann will now concentrate on selling its one ocean going ship Deutschland.
Perl said: “It has been a shock but its not the first company hit by the recession and it wont be the last”.
He said poor bookings from the US and Germany had sealed the fate of the river cruise operation.
Perl added: “In the UK we are up 20% year on year which has been a great year.”
He said Peter Deilmann wants to take its ocean going operation international, possible adding another ship.
“Hopefully if plans to expand and develop are successful there will be a role for the UK office, but I have no idea what will happen in the short term”
There are six people in the UK office and so far no details of job losses. There are cabins stil for sale for the river cruise season.
“At the moment its business as usual but once the 2009 season ends they will look at things again. It is all very uncertain.”
Deilmann has eight river cruise vessels but one had already been sold and was due to leave the fleet in October 2009.