The globally-renowned Tall Ships race will return to Aberdeen “when the time is right,” according to the city council’s finance chief.
On Saturday, the Press and Journal revealed the event would not be staged in the north-east before 2022.
Just last November, the local authority had announced it was planning to bring the races to the city during the next three years.
The event last took place in Aberdeen in 1997 when it attracted 500,000 people to the area, giving the local economy a boost of around £13million.
And councillor Willie Young said he still wanted to see the event return to a city with a true maritime tradition.
He said: “We are committed to bringing the tall ships back to Aberdeen when the time is right.
“We are committed to bringing events to the city that will take people into it which is what we want to see.
“I would like to get the Tall Ships into Aberdeen as soon as it is practical.
“There are a lot of things going on at the harbour and, if it is not ready by 2022, then it will not happen then.”
He also responded to criticism that the local authority had missed the boat for the Tall Ships race to come to Aberdeen sooner.
He said: “We did not miss the deadline as was reported, there was no deadline.
“I hope the SNP group will support our tourism levy which is needed to help bring more events to the city.”
However, Aberdeen North MSP Mark Macdonald claimed the administration had taken its “eye off the ball.”
He said: “I think we had a golden opportunity to bring the Tall Ships back to Aberdeen which would have been a major boost to the economy.
“Councillor Young likes to make promises about what will happen in the future, but what matters is the here and now and his bumbling administration has taken its eye off the ball again.”