Genting Cruise Lines To Be First Cruise Ship Operator In The World To Restart Cruise Operations
Following the footsteps of Norwegian cruise lines Hurtigruten and SeaDream, Genting Cruise Lines stand next to restarting operations with their Ship Explorer Dream, beginning from the 26th of July, 2020.
Announcing itineraries of 2 and 3 nights just for the Taiwanese market, the ship of 1,867 passengers get to experience their package titled ‘Taiwan Island-Hopping’. The ship intends to depart from Keelung with intermediate stops at Penghu, Matzu, and Kinmen Islands. This makes it the first cruise line to resume cruising for the Taiwanese since the lockdown of cruise services owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Encouraged by the low numbers of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan, in comparison with the global statistics, along with the interest to kick-start tourism, the step taken by Genting Hong Kong’s subsidiary is seen as a rather well-planned decision. This is a step taken way ahead of US and Europen cruise lines that are currently enduring voluntary suspension until the 15th of September, 2020.
Having had its hygiene and operational protocols examined thoroughly, the Lines have enforced a high level of safety procedures including social distancing at entertainment, dining and public areas, deep cleaning, and full air ventilation in cabins and berths, throughout the ship.
Added to this, the crew is to also undertake stringent quarantine for a total of 21 days, added to the existing 3-month quarantine. This includes mandatory 14-day isolation on land after the ship arrives in Keelung on 30th June. Nucleic acid tests are administered, the failure of which will lead to an extra 7-day quarantine on board the ship.
The succession of this comprehensive procedure will ring in operations from 26th July 2020, along with safe handling procedures for food and beverages.
Not restricting the safety drills to just the crew, passengers too have to undergo screening processes, sanitization, disinfection of passengers and their quarters, and strict adherence to guidelines on embarkation and disembarkation.
Explorer Dream has also received the world’s ‘Certification in Infection Prevention for the Marine Industry (CIP-M)’, through its collaboration with DNV GL, the world’s largest classification society, as confirmed by Tan Sri KT Lim, Chairman, and CEO of Genting Hong Kong. Happy with the approval, the Chairman lauds the extensive detailing and planning taken by the authorities over the months to ensure complete health and safety of guests and crew.
Reference:Â asgam.com
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