Singapore recently embarked on a mission to get its tourism industry – and its revenue – back on track. It began by offering “flights to nowhere,” an aerial journey in a Singapore Airlines plane that would essentially do nothing more than circle for a while in the air before returning to its starting point. That program didn’t last long after environmentalists raised concerns, so a few aircraft are now going to become temporary, on-ground restaurants – a program that has seen modest success elsewhere. Singapore isn’t giving up on trying to capture large amounts of tourism dollars, and is now undertaking a new, but similar flight-to-nowhere initiative. This one is water-based, though, and could see Genting Cruise Lines offering “cruises to nowhere.”
As international cruises are still in drydock because of the COVID-19, the ships are tied up with nothing to do. The Singapore Tourism Board has now issued a new tender to DNV GL Singapore, a division of global maritime industry advisor DNV GL Global, which will give it the ability to develop a cruise compliance and certification program for cruise lines that will allow some ships to splash back down into the water. Through the program, DNV GL Singapore will be able to approve certain cruise ships to offer cruises to nowhere, setting sail and docking at the same location.
Before a certificate of approval can be awarded, the cruise line operator will have to submit its ship for inspection and an audit. They will have to adhere to a rigorous and strict set of guidelines for crew and passenger safety, and will only be allowed to travel at 50% their normal capacities for the first three months. After that, the limit could be increased if it looks as though COVID-19 is under control.
So far, Genting Cruise Lines has been included in the list of potential candidates for the program. Its Dream Cruises division has been given preliminary approval to offer the trips, which will last from two to four nights, with the final approval by DNV GL Singapore expected at any time. It isn’t clear how many trips Dream Cruises might offer once the program gets going.
The news couldn’t have come at a better time for Genting Hong Kong, the company behind Genting Cruise Lines. It had begun to pour massive amounts of money into a gambling cruise ship fleet prior to the onset of COVID-19, and the forced halt of sailings has eaten away at any funds it may have had still available. Genting HK reported in late August that it was being forced to halt creditor payments as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and being able to get back in the water would allow it to begin recovery. Two ships based out of Singapore, the SuperStar Aquarius and the SuperStar Gemini, were taken out of commission in March and have been used strictly for temporary foreign worker housing during the pandemic.
