First Large Cruise Ships Start Sailing in Post-Covid-19 Service

July 27 ------ Large ocean-going cruise ships took their first tentative steps to resume service. Cruises departed this weekend aboard ships sailing from Germany and Taiwan marking the start of the first new cruises on large ships in over four months. Additional large cruise ships are expected to return to service in the coming days.

The first large cruise ship to sail was the Mein Schiff 2, which is operated by TUI Cruises a partnership between TUI and the Royal Caribbean Group. The 111,554 gross ton cruise ship sailed from Hamburg, Germany on July 24 for a three-day voyage in the Baltic that will return to Hamburg on July 27 without having stopped at any ports. TUI made available just over 1,700 berths, but reportedly the ship sailed with just over 1,200 passengers. Two days later, on July 26, Genting Cruise Line’s Dream Cruises also returned to service with a four-day cruise aboard the 75,338 gross ton Explorer Dream sailing from Keelung, Taiwan. The cruise will remain entirely in local waters offering what Genting is calling Island Hopping Voyages that visit the Taiwanese islands of Peng Hu, Matsu Island, and Kinmen, as well as the port of Hualien located on the northeast coast of Taiwan.

While the two cruise programs are operating in opposite parts of the globe, both cruise lines established similar restrictions. TUI’s Mein Schiff 2 normally accommodates 2,900 passengers but the line said it would be limiting capacity to 60 percent, only accepting bookings for cabins with balconies and suites. Onboard passengers are being encouraged to maintain social distancing, all food is being served as opposed to self-service buffets, and additional sanitation and health checks are being implemented. Similarly, Genting also said it would limit capacity to between 1,200 and 1,800 passengers on the Explorer Dream, which normally carries up to 3,630 passengers. Dream Cruises reported that the initial cruise sold out two days after it began accepting bookings while the Taiwan media is reporting approximately 1,200 passengers were on board.

Both cruise lines also undertook extensive health protocols for the crew that is manning the ships. TUI’s crew underwent screening tests and a two-week isolation before the cruises began. Taiwan imposed stricter regulations with Dream Cruises agreeing to undertake several rounds of screening tests for the 588 crew members on the Explorer Dream. When the ship arrived in Keelung at the end of June, 538 crew members transferred to nine separate quarantine hotels for 14-days with weekly tests while the 50 crew remaining on the ship was tested and also isolated. The entire crew returned to the ship after testing negative for a further week of isolation and health protocol training.

Source: maritime-executive.com