Singapore travellers can hop on 'cruises to nowhere' from November

SINGAPORE - Two cruise lines have been given the green light to offer "cruises to nowhere" from Singapore starting in November, following the development of a set of safety guidelines to prevent the on-board spread of the coronavirus.

These will be round trip cruises with no ports of call.

Genting Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International, which are homeported in Singapore, will be part of a "safe cruise" pilot that will cater only to Singapore residents at a reduced capacity of 50 per cent, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said in a statement on Thursday (Oct 8).

Genting Cruise Lines' World Dream will begin sailing on Nov 6, while Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas ship will begin sailing in December.

All passengers will have to be tested for Covid-19 prior to boarding as part of the STB's CruiseSafe programme, jointly developed by global classification body DNV GL.

They will also have to comply with safe management measures, such as mask-wearing and safe distancing of 1m between groups of passengers.

The Straits Times reported last Wednesday (Sept 30) that the STB had appointed DNV GL to create a certification programme for cruise lines that are keen to offer "cruises to nowhere" departing Singapore.

Cruise ships have not been allowed to call here since March 13, when the Republic joined a number of countries in closing its ports to these vessels over fears that they may carry infected passengers. The Diamond Princess, which was quarantined off the coast of Japan in February, served as a cautionary tale of the coronavirus' rapid spread, with more than 700 passengers and crew members found ill.

But with Thursday's announcement, stringent safety measures will be required of cruise operators here to prevent a repeat of a similar incident.

All cruise lines must be audited and receive CruiseSafe certification to sail out of Singapore, the STB said. It added that the programme is benchmarked against global health and safety standards, including those of the World Health Organisation, Cruise Lines International Association and Singapore's own SG Clean national cleanliness initiative.

CruiseSafe standards include:

•  Infection control measures at every stage of a passenger's journey, including a mandatory Covid-19 test prior to boarding.
• Strict and frequent cleaning and sanitisation protocols on ships.
• Safe management measures aligned with prevailing national policy at the time of sailing
• Ensuring 100 per cent fresh air throughout the ship, so no recirculation of air.
• Reducing ship capacity to enable sufficient safe distancing.
• Setting up onboard measures to discourage close contact and intermingling between groups of passengers.
• Emergency response plans for incidents relating to Covid-19.

Regular inspections will be conducted onboard during the pilot sailings, STB said. Cruise lines that are found to be non-compliant will face penalties including fines, suspension of sailings and having their CruiseSafe certifications revoked.

The $100 SingapoRediscovers vouchers, to be issued to all Singaporeans in December, will not be redeemable for sailings, however.

The Government will monitor the outcomes of the pilot sailings carefully in the coming months before deciding on the next steps for cruises, STB said.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.