Incoming ship ban sinks cruise sector’s hopes of relaunch

Anger is mounting in Australia’s cruise industry at the failure to lift a ban that would allow domestic cruises to restart.

Anger is mounting in Australia’s cruise industry at the failure of the federal government to lift a ban on incoming ships that would allow domestic cruises to restart.

The three-month extension of the international travel ban announced by Health Minister Greg Hunt on Tuesday has dashed the hopes of tour operators that foreign-flagged vessels could begin cruising again in Australian waters.

While a few small vessels are operating in the Kimberley, most domestic operators rely on ships currently overseas and are waiting for permission to set sail for Australia. Some operators, such as the Australian-owned Aurora Expeditions, were hoping to start cruises to Tasmania, the Ningaloo Reef and the Kimberley as early as June, but the company’s ship, Greg Mortimer, is stuck in Spain awaiting permission to depart for Australia.

Ponant has Kimberley cruises planned from late April that are now in doubt.

“We are hopeful that small expedition ships will soon receive approval to recommence operations within Australian waters exclusively for Australians during that period,” said Ponant’s chair of Asia Pacific operations Sarina Bratton.

In announcing the extension of the entry ban, Mr Hunt noted that the government continued to work closely with the cruise industry “to develop a framework for the staged resumption of cruise ships in a manner that is proportionate to the public health risk.”

But sources in the industry told The Australian it was “inexcusable” that the government had failed to exempt foreign-flagged vessels desperately needed so that tens of thousands of jobs in the sector could be saved.

The industry has been working towards a staged recovery, building up from small local cruises to voyages in COVID-safe “bubbles” in New Zealand and the Pacific before full international travel resumes.

“That’s all been shot down, there is still no pathway,” the source said.

“This is driven by completely groundless fears about foreign crews bringing infection in. It’s ridiculous, most of them will have been at sea for three weeks getting here, then another two weeks quarantine when they arrive. How many thousands more people have to lose their jobs while the government prevaricates?”

The industry trade group was more diplomatic, with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) managing director Joel Katz saying: “We are naturally disappointed that the government has extended the ban without finalising a pathway for the return of cruising given the work that has taken place over many months.”

The industry has been in close negotiations with the federal government for more than six months, putting in place extensive new health protocols including 100 per cent testing of all passengers and crew before boarding. Some ships have their own full-scale PCR laboratories on board.

In other parts of the world, an estimated 350,000 people have embarked on more than 400 cruises without serious incident, according to the CLIA.

“It’s mind boggling that with all the safety protocols, and with the vaccine here now, that there isn’t even a start date yet for the domestic cruises,” said Honida Beram, who runs the cruising fraternity’s most popular website, Cruising With Honey.