Confirmed: 2 Cruise Lines Given Green Light to ‘Cruise to Nowhere’ from Nov 2020

By
Shawn Ambrose
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Remember when Singapore Airlines was flirting with the idea of scheduling “flights to nowhere“?

Travellers would board a plane at Changi Airport, and three hours later, arrive at Changi Airport.

Image: Giphy

They later abandoned the idea, though, after the public raised concerns about its environmental implications.

If you were depressed by the news that you wouldn’t be able to fly to nowhere, I might have the next best thing.

Confirmed: 2 Cruise Lines Given Green Light to “Cruise to Nowhere” from Nov 2020

You read that right.

Come November, residents will be able to take cruises to nowhere.

Two cruise lines – Genting Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International – have been given the green light to offer round trip cruises with no ports of call.

Genting Cruise Lines’ World Dream will begin sailing on 6 Nov, while Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas ship will set sail in December.

As you know, cruise ships have not been allowed to call here since 13 March, due to fears that these ships could form large Covid-19 clusters.

These fears were not unfounded; over 700 passengers on the Diamond Princess, a ship that set sail from Yokohama (near Tokyo) in February, ended up getting infected, leading to 6 deaths.

Stringent Safety Measures

For this reason, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) reportedly hired DNV GL Singapore – a risk management company – to create a safety framework for these cruises.

Once this framework is established, cruises will need to be certified for compliance with it before setting sail.

These safety measures include:

  • strict and frequent cleaning and sanitisation of ships
  • mandatory Covid-19 tests prior to boarding
  • implementation of safe management measures – mask-wearing and safe distancing of 1m between groups of passengers
  • ensuring 100% fresh air throughout the ship and that there’s no recirculation of air
  • operating at 50% capacity to allow for safe distancing
  • introducing onboard measures to discourage close contact and intermingling between groups of passengers
  • emergency response plans for incidents relating to Covid-19

These cruises to nowhere will also be subject to regular inspections.

According to ST, non-compliant cruises will face penalties including fines, suspension of sailings, and could even have their CruiseSafe certifications revoked.

Sadly, the $100 SingapoRediscovers vouchers that you’ll get in December will not be redeemable for these cruises.

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Image: Tenor

Covid-19 Risk & Environmental Impact

While this move might excite some residents, others are wary.

Marcie Keever, oceans and vessels programme director at Friends of the Earth, warned of “the potential to have Covid outbreaks” on cruise liners.

“The cruise industry was a large contributor to Covid outbreaks in several ports around the world,” she told AFP.

Keever also warned about the environmental impact of restarting cruises, but how bad is it really?

According to Forbes, cruise ships have often been described as “floating cities”, because they may be just, as if not more, polluting than normal cities.

Besides their exhaust fumes, cruises increase pollution because it often leads to the discarding of trash, fuel, and sewage directly into the ocean.

On the other hand, some may view STB’s move as a bid to revive the ailing tourism industry, as well as to boost morale during the Covid-19 pandemic.

While many may initially baulk at the idea of a destination-less journey, without the ability to travel for leisure, it’s an option that will become more attractive by the day.

What do you think? Will you be taking a cruise to nowhere?

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]