MS Vasco Da Gama Sets Sail: Restart After Shipyard Stay in Brest

Von By Phil Nash from Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 & GFDLViews, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
Finally back on course! After an involuntary weeks-long break at the shipyard in Brest, France, the MS Vasco Da Gama has ended its layover. The popular nicko cruises ship is currently on its repositioning voyage to Kiel. Regular passenger operations will officially restart there on July 16, 2026, with an eleven-day Baltic Sea cruise. This marks the end of a challenging period for the cruise line, and vacationers can once again look forward to unforgettable moments at sea.

All news also on X

The cause of the unexpectedly long downtime was a series of complex technical issues. It all started with a defect in the controllable pitch propeller on starboard during a voyage off the African coast. During an initial repair attempt, additional failures occurred in the main engines. Since replacement parts for the classic ship, built in 1993, are no longer available off the shelf, they had to be custom-made from scratch. To ensure the highest level of operational safety, the cruise line opted for a complete overhaul of all five onboard generators.

Naturally, the weeks-long outage led to numerous canceled trips. However, affected guests were compensated and received discounts for future bookings. nicko cruises is now fully embracing the "Coolcation" trend, offering primarily voyages to Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea during the current summer season. These cooler destinations are becoming increasingly popular with travelers looking to escape the extreme summer heat of the Mediterranean.

With its fully overhauled engines, the MS Vasco Da Gama is now perfectly equipped for upcoming adventures. The absolute highlight in the future itinerary is the grand world cruise in 2027/2028. Over 172 days, the ship will sail from Lisbon to exotic destinations across six continents, intentionally omitting stops in the US. Fans of "slow cruising" can therefore look forward to fascinating, worldwide routes on this freshly refurbished ship.