Last week, it was announced that STB had appointed accredited registrar DNV GL to create a certification programme for cruise lines that are keen to offer 'cruises to nowhere' from Singapore.
And news have come out that two cruise lines, Genting Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International have been given the green light to offer these 'cruises to nowhere' starting in November, following the development of a set of safety guidelines to prevent onboard spread of Covid-19.
Genting Cruise Lines' World Dream will begin sailing on Nov 6, while Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas ship will begin sailing in December.
Both cruise lines will be part of a "safe cruise" pilot that will cater only to Singapore residents at a reduced capacity of 50 per cent.
Cruise ships have not been allowed to dock in Singapore since March 13, when the Republic joined a number of countries in closing its ports to cruise vessels over fears that they may carry the coronavirus. The Diamond Princess, which was quarantined off the coast of Japan in February, served as a cautionary tale, with more than 700 passengers and crew members infected.
But with STB's announcement of 'cruises to nowhere', strict safety measures will be required of cruise operators here to prevent a repeat of a similar incident.
As part of STB's CruiseSafe programme, all passengers will have to be tested for Covid-19 prior to boarding. Here are other CruiseSafe programme standards to know before you plan your cruise getaway!
CruiseSafe standards include:
- Infection control measures at every stage of a passenger's journey, including a mandatory Covid-19 test prior to boarding.
- Strict and frequent cleaning and sanitation protocols on ships.
- Safe management measures aligned with prevailing national policy at the time of sailing
- Ensuring 100 percent fresh air throughout the ship and no recirculation of air.
- Reducing ship capacity to enable sufficient safe distancing.
- Setting up onboard measures to discourage close contact and intermingling between groups of passengers.
- Emergency response plans for incidents relating to Covid-19.
- Passengers will have to comply with safe management measures, such as mask-wearing and 1m safe distancing.
The CruiseSafe programme is benchmarked against global health and safety standards, including those of the World Health Organisation, Cruise Lines International Association, and Singapore's own SG Clean national cleanliness initiative.
STB also said that regular inspections will be conducted onboard during the pilot sailings. Cruise lines that are found to be non-compliant will face penalties including fines, suspension of sailings and having their CruiseSafe certifications revoked.
The safety guidelines seem to be pretty adequate in putting our minds at ease, however, the $100 SingapoRediscovers vouchers that Singaporeans will receive in December 2020 will not be redeemable for cruise sailings.