Cruises to restart in Australia from next year

In less than a week’s time, Australian holidaymakers will be able to fly overseas and go on a cruise, but ships are still banned in our waters.

Cruising restarted in other parts of the world months ago.

The Cruise Line International Association told 9News more than three million people have safely cruised since then.

EXPLAINER: Cruise fans may be allowed to set sail from overseas long before Australia

Australia is the only remaining major market where cruising hasn’t resumed.

“Many of the cruising community have booked cruises from overseas, they just want to get back on the sea,” Honida Beram from the blog ‘Cruising With Honey’ said.

Since the Ruby Princess disaster in March 2020, cruise ships have been banned in Australia. That ban is due to expire on December 18.

READ MORE: The ‘calculator’ that says if you will catch COVID-19

Under a restart plan, Australia could start domestic cruises before ships call at international destinations.

The Federal Government says on its website: “Since 27 March 2020, no foreign-flagged cruise ships may enter Australian waters (with limited exceptions).

“The Australian Government has extended the cruise ship ban to 17 December 2021, but this does not mean the ban will be lifted at that time.”

Joel Katz from the Cruise Line International Association said: “The Federal Government has responsibility for the borders and the State Government has the responsibility for the health, so we need to be able to sit down with the State Governments, with the health teams to finalise those protocols that the industry has proposed.”

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the state government will do “whatever it can” to get cruising back as safely and quickly as possible.

The cruise industry is highly popular in Australia.

According to the Port Authority of NSW, 1240 cruise ships visited 47 Australian ports in 2019.

Passengers, crew and cruise firms spent $2.5 billion, with Sydney the main port but regional areas also benefitting.

READ MORE: ‘No end in sight’ for high petrol prices

© Kate Geraghty/SMH
The cruise industry will have health measures in place to restart safely.

Cruise operators need confirmation about when they can resume as soon as possible.

It takes between 90 and 120 days to get their ships up and running. Many are currently in the Northern Hemisphere.

When cruises do eventually restart in our waters there will be a number of health measures in place.

All passengers and crew will need to be double vaccinated and test negative before boarding.

READ MORE: Russian cases surge as Kremlin orders workers to stay at home

If someone does test positive to the virus during the cruise, there’ll be rooms set aside for isolation and there are medical facilities on the ships with staff given extra training in treating COVID-19.

Cruise enthusiasts are hopeful the industry will safely restart in Australia next year.

“I feel completely confident that cruising will be a safe way to travel,” Ms Beram said.