Vaccine passports and Covid-19 tests to help battered cruise liner industry bounce back

Fears liners may not return to Irish ports before 2022

(Stock photo)

Ralph Riegel Twitter Email

April 05 2021 10:55 AM

VACCINATION passports and precautionary Covid-19 tests have emerged as keys to help kick-start the recovery of the crippled €70m Irish cruise liner industry.

The revelation came as Irish ports admitted they do not expect the resumption of any cruise liner visits until after September – potentially not even before spring 2022.

Major cruise line operators including P&O, Saga and Virgin have now indicated that they intend to press ahead with cruise holidays in Europe this summer - but only for those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

However, cruise liner traffic at Irish ports including Dublin and Cork will be subject to Irish Covid-19 controls and travel restrictions.

Dublin and Cork have both warned cruise liner firms that, until Level Five restrictions are eased, they cannot accept cruise liner traffic.

There are now fears that a resumption of cruise liner visits from July may be pushed back until September - or even into early 2022.

The Port of Cork said they had to be guided by Government policy.

"Ireland is currently operating at Level 5 restrictions, the highest level enforced by the Irish Government and therefore the port is precluded from accepting cruise calls," a spokesperson said.

"Should we be informed by the Irish Government that this situation has changed we will convey such to (customers). The Port of Cork looks forward to the return of cruise once we have received approvals and structures from the Irish Government and Government agencies (HSE, Customs and Immigration) that together, we can manage the safe resumption of cruise."

"We remain hopeful that we may be allowed to re-open our port to cruise ship calls at some stage in 2021. However this is likely to be as late as Q3."

Cruise line passenger numbers have collapsed to their lowest level for almost 50 years because of the pandemic.

Now, major cruise operators have confirmed they will proceed with a restricted touring programme this summer, mostly focused on northern Europe

P&O, Saga and Virgin have told intending passengers will need to have received both Covid-19 vaccinations before boarding.

Shipping industry officials warned last summer that it could take two or three years for the global cruise liner industry to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Worth an estimated €70m to the Irish economy, the pandemic came as a crippling blow to an industry which had been expanding rapidly over the past 15 years following decades of decline after its 1950s heyday.

A total of 157,000 passengers and 69,000 crew visited Cork alone in 2018 delivering a €12m boost to the Cobh and Cork economies.

Cobh had been scheduled to welcome more than 100 vessels in 2020.

However, just a single liner visited Cork before the pandemic hit and the liner ban was imposed.

In 2018 it was estimated that 27.2 million people had taken cruise holidays on over 450 cruise ships worldwide.