The Singapore Tourism Board has cleared the way for cruising to resume starting in November by two cruise lines that homeport ships in the island-nation – Royal Caribbean International and Dream Cruises.
The relaunch will start with pilot cruises to review the safety of cruising with new health protocols. The pilot cruises will operate roundtrips with no ports of call, reduced capacity up to 50 percent, and only open to Singapore residents. Also mandatory are a negative COVID-19 test before boarding, mask-wearing and one-meter safe distancing.
Dream Cruises’ World Dream is expected to depart on its first pilot cruise Nov. 6, with Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas starting in December.
“This cruise pilot is a valuable opportunity for cruise operators to reinvent the entire cruise experience in order to regain the confidence of passengers,” said Keith Tan, chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
Genting said a mandatory COVID-19 test will be conducted on all guests age 13 and above before embarking the 150,695-gross-ton World Dream, which will operate two- and three-night voyages to nowhere.
“We are delighted to be the first cruise ship to restart operations here in Singapore and to give a much-needed boost to the local tourism industry,” said Michael Goh, president of Dream Cruises. The resumption is cruising “marks another important milestone in the recovery process post-COVID-19 for the local cruise tourism industry,” Goh said.
The Singapore Tourism Board is developing a mandatory CruiseSafe certification program with stringent hygiene and safety measures throughout the passenger journey, from before boarding to after disembarkation.
All cruise lines sailing out of Singapore must first obtain the CruiseSafe certification, which requires independent assessment by a third-party certification firm.
Genting Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International are in the process of attaining the certification. They were approved for the pilot voyages since they have demonstrated the ability to follow stringent protocols and precautionary measures, the STB said.
The CruiseSafe standards also include strict and frequent cleaning and sanitization protocols onboard, 100 percent fresh air throughout the ship, onboard measures to discourage close contact and intermingling between groups, and emergency response plans for incidents relating to COVID-19.
To ensure compliance, regular inspections will be conducted onboard during the pilot cruises. Cruise lines found to be non-compliant will be subjected to penalties including fines, suspension of sailings and revocation of CruiseSafe certification.
The crew on pilot cruises are subjected to stringent measures beyond Singapore’s prevailing requirements for cross-border travel. For example, the crew who need to enter Singapore to serve onboard the pilot cruises must first undergo 14 days isolation in their home country and must test negative for COVID-19 before their departure to Singapore.
They will be tested on arrival in Singapore, serve a 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) in Singapore, and will undergo another test at the end of their SHN. Once sailings begin, all crew members will also be routinely tested.
Dream Cruises resumed operations from Taiwan in July 2020.
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