Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines announced cancellations of four winter voyages after bookings have not reached expected capacity levels at a time when fuel costs are high.

The company has also moved Bolet's winter schedule from Tilbury to Dover and Southampton. Affected guests have been contacted and the ship is scheduled to return on December 21 for a Christmas sailing to Norway.

Fred Olsen was also forced to cancel Balmoral's scheduled cruise from Rosyth on Monday (August 29) due to a problem with one of the ship's propellers. It will resume sailing from Southampton on September 11, with the rest of the schedule unchanged.

Managing director Peter Deer apologized to customers and said canceling cruises was "never a decision we take lightly".

"Winter is always a quieter period for cruising and this year the low number of sailings did not reach the number of guests we had hoped for, at a time when fuel costs are particularly high for all of us," he added.

Deere said Fred Olsen will use the extra time freed up by the cancellation to advance technical work ahead of a short dry dock already planned for Bolet next year.

"We are very grateful for the support of our trading partners in finding the best solution for our mutual guests and we respect the agents' commissions on these cruises," Deere added.