100,000Passengers have sailed from Singapore since November

Genting Hong Kong-owned Dream Cruises’ World Dream welcomed the 100,000th passenger to sail from Singapore’s Marina Bay Cruise Centre since sailings resumed from there on November 6, 2020.

Around the cruise industry, there have been quiet efforts to recall some of the many crew members that had been repatriated in the spring and summer as the industry’s pause in operations was extended. In some cases, the rehiring is due to the planned restarts of a limited number of cruise ships while in other cases the cruise lines are facing the same issues of crew change that the broader maritime industry has been addressing.

Among the cruise lines rehiring crew for the anticipated restart of their ships is both Royal Caribbean International which plans to resume operations with its ship the Quantum of the Seas in December and Genting’s Dream Cruises that is preparing to restart its second cruise, the World Dream. Both ships have been approved by the authorities in Singapore to begin cruises to nowhere as part of a trial program.

Genting Cruise Lines is using the opportunity also as a way to help Singapore’s residents and the local economy. The line announced that it will be searching for talent to fill over 100 jobs covering all aspects of cruise ship operations. Among the positions they reported will be available are chefs, media technicians, and various hospitality staff. Genting said the talent search will encompass a broad experience ranging from ex-naval or maritime officers and crew to the hard-hit food and beverage sector and the hotel and hospitality industry.

Royal Caribbean International has also hired people for five-month contracts lasting until the end of March 2021. This line has been including people from outside Singapore in the hiring. These individuals are undergoing two-week quarantines before departing for Singapore and then will spend a further two weeks in quarantine aboard the cruise ship before beginning the process to restart the ship for its cruises in December.

Among the other rehires for crew one of the staffing agencies, CTI’s office in Bali reported that it has rehired a small number of people and made the complex arrangements to send them to the Caribbean to reboard several of Carnival Cruise Line’s ships. In social media postings, CTI said that the individuals were for a range of positions.

press release + Maritime Executive