Two Asian cruise lines that have been in hiatus since early February are getting ready to resume their cruise services despite the Covid-19 pandemic showing no sign of abating.
Genting Hong Kong — whose Genting Cruise Lines arm runs the Dream Cruises and Star Cruises brands in Asia — has outlined the measures it is implementing to keep its ships coronavirus-free should they resume cruise operations.
“With the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak regionally and globally, many guests as well as crew have developed higher awareness and expectations with regards to the safety and preventive measures of cruiseships,” Genting Cruise Lines president Kent Zhu said.
New safety norms
“We have taken the positive opportunity during this hiatus period to also implement comprehensive crew training to reinforce effective cleaning procedures, health and hygiene protocols and efficient guest interaction, which we will adopt as the new safety norm for our fleet and we hope for the industry too.”
In addition to these enhanced measures, Genting is working with the China Cruise & Yacht Industry Association to contribute to a white paper setting out the industry’s response to Covid-19. It will seek to provide comprehensive and unified standards to ensure the safety and well-being of all cruising guests and crew members.
Zhu, like all of Genting's senior management, agreed to waive his total salary until the end of this year. Other company managers have seen their salaries cut by between 20% and 50%. The aim is to save $15m — about 16% — in shore salaries for the year.
Genting’s outlining of its new anti-coronavirus measures indicates the company’s various cruise arms are hoping to resume operations soon. TradeWinds understands that its ships are in warm lay-up and can begin operating the moment it receives the go-ahead from port authorities.
In March, Genting predicted that its Star Cruises and Dream Cruises' ships would resume sailing towards the end of April. That ambition looks increasingly unlikely, as many Asian countries are now strengthening social distancing restrictions or extending full lockdowns.
Dream Cruises’ flagship vessel — the 150,600-gt World Dream (built 2017) — was taken to Europe at the end of March, where it went into a shipyard in Rotterdam for a refit.
Dream Cruises is currently exploring options and opportunities to safely deploy its fleet across the [US] region and globally
Genting spokesperson
Sailing US waters
At the time, there were well-founded suggestions within the cruise sector that the World Dream was being prepared for deployment in US waters, as it was unlikely that the Chinese market would rebound quickly enough to warrant its presence in Asia.
But as the virus continues to ravage the US at an alarming pace, that deployment may have been subject to a rethink.
When asked about the rumoured US deployment, a Genting spokesperson indicated that nothing has been decided for the World Dream.
“Dream Cruises is exploring options and opportunities to safely deploy its fleet across the region and globally," he said. "However, final itineraries have not been confirmed as the Covid-19 worldwide situation is evolving and is extremely fluid.”
While Genting ponders its options, China’s Twinkle Travel Cruise International — 51% owned by China International Travel Service Hong Kong and 49% by Cosco — looks set to resume its cruise operations in June, albeit in a reduced manner.
Sources close to Twinkle said its 69,800-gt Piano Land (built 1995) will be operated on a domestic route in China that month.
Preventative measures
Preventative measures that will be put in place include operating an independent ventilation recycling system and not selling inside cabins — although it is not clear whether this latter measure is merely psychological as outside cabins with sealed portholes and windows have as much access to fresh air as the inside windowless cabins.
Twinkle was launched last year after acquiring the Piano Land — then named Oriana — from Carnival Corp. The ship is managed by V. Ships and has been laid up since January.
Bohai Cruises, China’s other cruise operator, has yet to give any indication on when it intends to resume its cruise services, and could not be reached for comment.
