Cruise line reveals jab policy at CLIA industry forum
One of the most popular family cruise lines in Australia has unveiled its vaccination policy.
P&O has revealed it will require all crew and passengers, including children eligible for a vaccination, to be fully inoculated when cruising resumes in Australia.
President of P&O Cruises Australia, Sture Myrmell, made the announcement at an online forum on Friday to discuss the future of the industry, which has been crippled in Australia by ongoing border closures and Covid-19 restrictions.
Mr Myrmell said the cruise line, which prior to the global pandemic sailed three 2000-plus passenger ships in Australian waters, would base its vaccination policy on government guidelines.
“Our research shows that the vast majority of our guests want to cruise with other vaccinated Australians,” he said.
Mr Myrmell was speaking as leading industry body Cruise Lines International Association unveiled a proposal to revive the business, and get ships and passengers back on the water. The plan is aligned with the federal government’s four-phase strategy to gradually reopen the country after achieving 80 per cent vaccination rates.
It would see a resumption of limited domestic-only voyages when 70 per cent of the population is fully vaxxed, followed by the creation of trans-Tasman and other cruise “bubbles” when vaccination levels hit 80 per cent.
Presenting to the 1000 forum attendees, cruise executives, including Ponant’s Sarina Bratton, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Ben Angell and Royal Caribbean’s Gavin Smith, said it was imperative the government collaborate with cruise lines on a clear road map forward. They stressed it would take months to mobilise crew and ships for a restart.
“This is about having plans agreed in advance so that we’re ready as conditions improve with the rising vaccination rate,” CLIA managing director Australasia Joel Katz said.
“Our governments have created a four-phase plan to reopen Australia, and we’re now calling for our own four-phase pathway to be included in this process.”
According to CLIA, one million people have already successfully embarked on cruises in Europe, the US and Asia. It says Australia is the only significant cruise market without a government-approved framework for a resumption of sailing.
“Cruising involves long lead-times ahead of operations, so we need a plan in place now
so we can work towards reviving an industry worth more than $5bn a year to communities around Australia,” Mr Katz said.
September 17 is the deadline for the federal government to review Australia’s international border closure, which effectively blocks foreign-flagged vessels from local waters.
Mr Smith said he was deeply concerned the chance for vessels to return this summer was slipping away.
“I think it places the industry, and the trade that support us, in great jeopardy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ms Bratton said Indigenous communities in the Kimberley had missed out on $1.6m of revenue because French line Ponant had been unable to sail there this year.
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