Cruise

U.S. based line Crystal Cruises have taken the decision to cancel the remainder of their 2020 sailings, citing the uncertainty of the global COVID-19 pandemic; this includes all ocean cruises on the Crystal Symphony, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Esprit. The operator recently launched health and safety protocols and procedures, Crystal Clean+ 2.0, for when services eventually resume.

The country's government has announced that it has stopped all cruise ships with more than 100 people on board from disembarking in Norwegian ports for 14 days effective yesterday, 3 August; this follows a recent outbreak of COVID-19 on board a ship operated by Norwegian company Hurtigruten. Any ships that have not yet departed will not be able to dock at Norwegian ports while the restriction is in effect.

The river cruise line, headquartered in China's Chongqing, has announced that it will resume multi-day cruise programs on the country's Yangtze and Jialing rivers in August, around eight months after the COVID-19 pandemic started. Initially, river cruise lines will be restricted to 50% passenger capacity, and sailings are open to domestic travellers only.

British passenger cruise line Cruise and Maritime Voyages (CMV) has ceased operations after failing to secure the necessary funding. CMV sourced mainly British passengers and operated six cruise ships: the Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Astoria, Astor, Marco Polo and Magellan.

The Royal Caribbean group has announced the decision to extend the suspension of cruise sailings for passengers due to depart on or before 30 September. Included among the group’s brands are Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea.