US-based Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has extended its members’ voluntary suspension of American cruise operations until at least 31st October, 2020 This is the third extension to be announced by the association, and follows the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) ‘No-Sail [Read more...]
In response to a coronavirus outbreak on board ‘Roald Amundsen’, Hurtigruten has temporarily suspended all expedition sailings. This suspension will affect the ships ‘Roald Amundsen’, ‘Fridtjof Nansen’ and ‘Spitsbergen’ until further notice. Some 36 crew members and several guests on board ‘Roald Amundsen’ have tested positive [Read more...]
In a joint guidance published this week, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) outlined ways to facilitate the gradual restart of cruise ship operations. The guidance follows a goal-based approach and identifies measures to be [Read more...]
Fred.Olsen’s new trimaran ‘Bajamar Express’, on voyage from Australia to the Canary Islands, requested support from EU NAVFOR Somalia’s Operation Atalanta for her passage through the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor. EU NAVFOR covers the Southern Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and a large part of [Read more...]
Royal Caribbean (RCI) has changed the way guests will conduct safety drills. The company has introduced a digital app, which will help with promoting social distancing on board. Called Muster 2.0, the rollout of these new safety drills was initiated in Germany last week on [Read more...]
The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued guidance regarding a near-miss reported between a Stena ropax and a UK submarine. At 1256 hrs on 6th November, 2018, Stena ‘Superfast VII’s’ officer of the watch took urgent action to avoid a submerged submarine after [Read more...]
Another company to announce health and safety measures is Windstar Cruises, which is committed to a what it calls a holistic Beyond Ordinary Care programme. The cruise company announced that it will retrofit its six ship fleet with hospital-grade HEPA filters, ultra-violet germicidal irradiation and will employ [Read more...]
As mentioned in ICSI’s news columns, many cruise lines have started to publish their health and safety protocols and to highlight what the future will look like on a cruise ship. According to Peter Deer, Managing Director of Fred.Olsen Cruises (pictured), this is still a [Read more...]
Genting Cruise Lines claimed to be the first international cruise company to restart operations with the deployment of Dream Cruises’ ‘Explorer Dream’ in Taiwan. She was due to begin Taiwan Island-Hopping itineraries on 26th July, 2020. Upon the ship’s arrival in Keelung on 30th June, ‘Explorer Dream’ [Read more...]
The cruise sector needs to think hard about how it can meet the social distancing requirements linked to COVID-19. This needs to be thought out while still delivering the expected luxurious experience of being on board a cruise liner, without destroying and bankrupting the industry, [Read more...]