Come Jul 26, Dream Cruises will restart cruise operations with two- and three-night island hopping cruises in Taiwan with its vessel, the Explorer Dream. This makes it the first cruise line in the world to resume operations, following the devastating blow dealt to the industry by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cruise operators were crippled by the coronavirus outbreak since February, with the Diamond Princess fiasco in Yokohama, where 700 out of 3,700 passengers tested positive for Covid-19, making it the largest outbreak of Covid-19 outside of China at the time.

And now, with cruises restarting business, there’s one question that’s undoubtedly on everyone’s minds: Is it safe?

For Dream Cruises and its parent company Genting Cruise Lines, resuming operations with its Taiwan island-hopping itineraries has taken months of planning with the local authorities as well as setting new safety and hygiene standard operating procedures.

The company has also drawn from its first-hand experience housing foreign workers in Singapore. Two Genting Cruise Lines ships, the SuperStar Gemini and the SuperStar Aquarius, were converted into temporary accommodation in April to house foreign workers who had recovered from the virus. Each ship can accommodate up to 1,500 people and both were docked at Marina Bay Cruise Centre.

Both ships had undergone careful assessment checks covering various aspects including safe distancing practices, the ships’ ventilation systems, and preventive and infection control measures. A Genting Cruise Lines rep tells 8Days.sg: “Our experience in providing temporary accommodations for migrant workers in Singapore has enabled us to gain first-hand valuable insight and experience on an operational level, which include enhancing our overall capabilities in preventive, health and safety measures.”

Foreign workers carrying out self check-ins onboard.

Based on its experience in Singapore, the cruise line will adapt preventive measures to its fleet. This includes disinfection and sanitisation measures, training its crew with regards to protective protection equipment (PPE), pre-screening protocols, infectious disease management (including infection prevention and/or control), emergency preparedness, policies, procedures and related practices.

All these SOPs aboard the SuperStar Gemini and SuperStar Aquarius were then further refined within a real-world context to ensure that all Genting Cruise Lines’ ships, including the Explorer Dream, will be safe for guests. Genting Cruise Lines also reveals that the Explorer Dream that will set sail in Taiwan this month is the first cruise ship to receive the Certification in Infection Prevention for the Maritime Industry (CIP-M).

Of course, there will be social distancing measures implemented in dining, entertainment and public areas. All of the company’s fleet will allow for 100 per cent external fresh air to be filtered and supplied to each passenger cabin and in public areas, so that there’s a constant flow of fresh air throughout the vessels. There will also be isolation wards that can be converted into quarantine rooms, if required.

The Explorer Dream vessel has also undergone a thorough deep cleaning and the crew has observed strict quarantine procedures, in accordance with Taiwan’s regulations, prior to the resumption of business.

According to Genting Cruise Lines, the majority of the crew will be from other ships that have been quarantined for the last three months, and they’ve already served out a compulsory 14-day isolation on land, will undergo tests, and also go through an additional seven-day isolation period aboard the ship before trips commence Jul 26.

Photos: Genting Cruise Lines