Norway's Hurtigruten is eyeing a gradual restart of operations next month after idling most of its fleet in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The ferry owner and the world's largest expedition cruiseship operator said on Monday it plans get its ships cruising again to places like the iconic Geiranger fjord from 16 June.
But it extended its suspension of sailings until the middle of June in the meantime.
In March, it said it was taking 14 of its 16 ferries and cruiseships out of service, leaving just two running on essential local routes.
It initially laid off 345 employees on a temporary basis, followed by another 2,600 the week after.
"We are two months into what is a truly extraordinary situation. In one way or another, the consequences of the pandemic impact us all," Hurtigruten chief executive Daniel Skjeldam said.
"There is still a lot of uncertainty in what the next weeks and months will bring. However, we do see international restrictions gradually being lifted. Step by step, the pandemic is being brought under control. Businesses are re-opening and everyday life is slowly getting back to a degree of normality."
Norway itself has been re-opening its society following a lockdown.
Norway first
"Gradually restarting operations within Norwegian waters are natural first steps towards a normalisation for us," the chief executive said.
"The size and scale of our step-by-step restart is dependent on national and international travel restrictions, government support and other external factors outside of our control. But we are eager to welcome guests on board our ships again."
Hurtigruten also plans to gradually resume Arctic expedition cruises this summer.
Skjeldam added: "Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our crew and guests. We are working closely with all relevant authorities, experts and agencies to ensure a safe and sensible restart of our expedition cruises."
Hurtigruten has not had any confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19 on any ships.
The company will introduce strict hygiene measures and reduced guest capacity.
Hurtigruten added it will make decisions for each and every voyage individually.
Earlier in March, Hurtigruten announced a record pretax profit of NOK 473m ($40.8m), against a NOK 50m profit in 2018.
British investment fund TDR Capital holds 81.1% of Hurtigruten’s shares. Petter Stordalen, a major hotel owner in Norway, has a 11.6% stake.
