The wouldbe buyer of a Salamis Lines cruiseship whose sale ran into problems is working with the Cypriot shipowner to honour a charter arrangement with start-up Pampa Cruises, the Argentinian operator said.

Pampa Cruises chief executive Diego Insaurralde revealed the negotiations after Salamis told the Cyprus Stock Exchange that the sale of the 15,400-gt cruiseship Salamis Filoxenia (built 1975) had been cancelled and that it would pocket a $770,000 deposit.