Indian cruise operator Jalesh Cruises will restart its cruise operations November, with a free dockside Covid-19 provided to each passenger.

The company’s 70,300-gt cruiseship Karnika (built 1990) is scheduled to make its first post-coronavirus voyage in early November.

Although India is one of the world’s worst pandemic-hit countries, the Indian government recently announced that it would permit cruise ships to commence sailing from 1 October.

Jurgen Bailom, Jalesh’s president and CEO, Jalesh Cruises said the announcement to permit the resumption of cruise services came as “a fresh breath of air to all of us”.

Bailom stressed that “the health and safety of our passengers and our crew has been and will always be our priority”.

“I would like to reassure our valued guests that they would not find a safer and cleaner ship than Karnika. We eagerly wait to welcome guests on board Karnika with open arms and promise them an experience that will wipe away the gloom of the last few months.”

Those guests will be required to take a rapid Covid-19 test before the company will allow them to step foot on board the ship.

The company said it will also implement an extensive array of other health and safety protocols.

Angriya Sea Eagle Cruises, India’s second cruise operator, has also indicated recently that it plans to resume cruise operations with its 6,800-gt cruiseship Angriya (built 1997) in November.

Both cruise operators suspended operations in March and laid up their ships in Mumbai.

Jalesh’s Karnika was subsequently arrested over a bunker supplier dispute, which took some time to resolve due to the strict lockdown in India effectively shutting down the country’s legal courts.

Jalesh launched in 2018 when it bought the Karnika as Pacific Jewel from Carnival Corp. The purchase, along with a substantial refit in Singapore, represented a total investment of $123m.

The aim of its investors has been to establish a cruise operator on par with international players, with the eventual goal being to undertake an initial public offering.

The company had planned to buy a second vessel at the beginning of this year that it wanted to put in service by October. The second ship has been put on ice for now due to the pandemic.