After lengthy negotiations, the Canary Islands announced on October 18th its authorization for cruise ships to sail between the islands, opening the door for several interested shipping companies to begin operating in the archipelago.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 54 – October 2020
The ban on cruise ships in Spain. On June 27, 2020, following the easing of restrictions, the Official State Gazette (BOE) published a Resolution dated June 23, 2020, from the Directorate General of the Merchant Marine, establishing restrictive measures for cruise ships to address the health crisis caused by COVID-19.
But rather than restrictions, it's more accurate to speak of a prohibition. Article 2 is titled "Prohibitions," and it specifically prohibits cruise ships from entering Spanish ports. "The entry into Spanish ports of cruise ships undertaking international voyages and sailing through territorial waters with the aim of entering Spanish ports open to international navigation is prohibited, without prejudice to the provisions of paragraph 3.".
In the third article, however, the door is opened to cruise traffic by establishing some exceptions: “The Director General of the Merchant Marine may lift the prohibition provided for in the second section, at the request of State Ports and in accordance with the Ministry of Health, for specific ship entries or for a set of them as part of an itinerary through one or more ports.”.
In the second week of July, the German cruise line TUI Cruises applied for permission to operate cruises to the Canary Islands. The Spanish government maintained its ban on international cruise ships, decreed in March and reaffirmed in June, but the Ministry of Transport opened a pathway for the resumption of cruises through what is known as "European cabotage," which allows a European-flagged vessel to sail in European ports.
The “European cabotage”
TUI Cruises ships are registered in Malta, and TUI Cruises was the first cruise line to have an onboard health plan approved by the flag state authority of its vessels, in this case Malta. With this plan, it began sailing in the Baltic and North Seas at the end of July.
The Port Authorities of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife spent several weeks studying the opening of this route with State Ports. The Regional Government even gave its express approval prior to that of the Directorate General of the Merchant Marine.
TUI Cruises' plan was to establish home ports in La Luz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, offering a weekly inter-island route on two ships. In the first phase, approximately 3,000 tourists per week (the ships would sail at 60% capacity, carrying around 1,500 passengers) would visit all the Canary Islands except El Hierro. They would arrive on a charter flight from Germany and, after the cruise, return to their home countries by air.
Madrid responded in early August, indicating that it needed the express approval of the Canary Islands Health Authorities, given that, in the event of an outbreak, the archipelago's healthcare infrastructure would be responsible for managing it. A series of negotiations then began between the Port Authorities, the Regional Ministry of Health, and the Regional Ministry of Transport. There were also exchanges of procedures with TUI (which already had experience in the Baltic Sea), and the Regional Ministry of Health gave its approval, but only if the cruises were inter-island. Positioning cruises were excluded because they involved several autonomous communities.
The Minister of Public Works, Transport, and Housing, Sebastián Franquis, and the Minister of Health, Blas Trujillo, held a meeting on September 9th to inform the presidents of the two port authorities in the autonomous community about the protocols that cruise lines will have to follow to guarantee health and safety. This protocol is based on the EU Healthy Gateway COVID-19 guidelines and the protocols submitted by TUI Cruises.
Health requirements
Among the mandates included in the Canary Islands Government's health protocol, based on the EU Healthy Gateway COVID-19 guide, are the following initiatives:
- They must complete closed circuits, that is, only routes between the different Canary Islands.
- Only European companies that comply with the EU Healthy Gateway COVID-19 guidelines, one of the most demanding health protocols in the world, will be able to offer them.”.
- Ships will not be allowed to exceed 60-70% capacity. The European Maritime Safety Agency's Covid-19 Guidance recommends against offering cruises with a passenger roll above this percentage.
- The medical staff on board will need to be expanded.
- The operators will have to establish a protocol for tracking the ships each time they dock at a port in the Islands.
- The cruise line will have to take out insurance to cover all expenses for passengers who may contract Covid-19. This will include repatriation, medical costs, and quarantine. TUI Cruises has offered one of its own hotels as a quarantine facility.
- Cruise lines will have to provide all passengers with a PCR or serological test before boarding to prove they are not infected. TUI has required a negative PCR test before boarding on all its cruises since September 4th.
- Cruise passengers will have to fill out a form detailing all their movements in the last 15 days before arriving in the Canary Islands, describing whether they have had any contact with positive people or if they themselves have tested positive.
- The ships will have to be disinfected after each trip.
A lengthy administrative process.
In the third week of September, TUI Cruises resubmitted its application to the DGMM, with the approval of the Autonomous Community. This application includes a declaration of responsibility with three requirements:
- Obligation to house quarantined passengers on land.
- Obligation to hospitalize infected passengers on land.
- A P&I insurance policy that covers these expenses.
It must be assumed that, since most TUI customers are German, Austrian, etc., if they had a European health card, the Canary Islands hospitals would have to treat them.
The Canary Islands government had taken out an insurance policy with AXA to cover tourists' quarantines. Naturally, it intended to extend this coverage to cruise ship passengers.
TUI has already been forced to postpone the start of its cruises twice. The original launch date for TUI Cruises was September, but it was already delayed by a month. The much-needed permit finally arrived on October 18th, and given the time the cruise line needs to promote its cruises, operations will likely not begin until November.
In any case, the slowness, not to say negligence, in confirming the return of cruises, first to the Canary Islands and then to the rest of Spain, is surprising, to say the least. It is true that quarantines remain in place for travelers arriving from Spain in Germany and the United Kingdom, the two most important source markets for cruises in the Canary Islands; air links were also suspended until the beginning of October. However, it is also true that travel bubbles have worked on cruises from Italy, Germany, Greece, France, and Sweden, and that the infection rate in the Canary Islands is less than 50 per 100,000 people, comparable to that of any Central European country.
Ocean cruises aboard the Belle des Océans
CroisiEurope was the first shipping company to schedule cruises since March 12, with La Belle de Cadix, which is not subject to the limitations of the Spanish Government as it calls exclusively at ports in the country.
Thus, the ship arrived in Huelva on September 6th, then proceeded to El Puerto de Santa María, before finally reaching Seville. Croisi Europe has certified its protocols with Bureau Veritas, and the ship is carrying a reduced passenger load of around 50.
CroisiEurope is one of the companies that will be focusing on the Canary Islands this winter. The company is offering wonderful maritime itineraries for the 2021 season aboard its new ship, and the Canary Islands are not a new destination for the Alsatian shipowner. Its La Belle de l'Adriatique was operated in the Canaries for three winters, specifically in the 2007-2008, 2011-2012, and 2012-2013 seasons. Clearly, the French shipowner appreciates the safety of the Canary Islands during times of crisis.
For the Canary Islands, it is essential to recover cruise tourism and not lose the winter tourist season.
This season, the Belle des Océans, a luxury cruise ship, will be a highlight in the Canary Islands. Its history includes its previous service with SilverSea as the Silver Discoverer. It can accommodate 120 passengers in sixty outside cabins, nine of which are suites with private balconies. This summer, it offered cruises from Nice to Corsica with relative success. All ports of call were French, which standardized permits and regulations, and the company intends to export this model to the Canary Islands.
Thus, it intends to offer its "The Sweetness of an Eternal Spring" itinerary through the Canary Islands, departing from Arrecife in Lanzarote and including a series of interesting stops on the islands: In Lanzarote, visiting Timanfaya National Park, the Islote de Hilario, the Janubio Salt Flats, the La Geria Valley, the Jameos del Agua cave, the Mirador del Río viewpoint, or the house of César Manrique; in Gran Canaria, visiting the historic center of Vegueta, the House of Christopher Columbus, the Bandama crater, Teror, or Arucas, among other charming places on the island; in La Gomera, visiting Garajonay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hermigua, Las Rosas, Angulo, the Agando rocks, and attending a demonstration of the Silbo whistling language; in La Palma, visiting the Church of Notre Dame des Neiges, Mazo, the San Antonio volcano, or the Silk Museum; In El Hierro, with treasures such as Valverde, the Jinama viewpoint, Frontera, etc. And finally in Tenerife, where you can visit the Teide National Park or Puerto de la Cruz.
CroisiEurope is offering this Canary Islands cruise as an all-inclusive package, with drinks included with all meals and at the bar. CroisiEurope had planned to begin on November 5th, but has postponed the start of its cruises to February 1st, 2021, departing from Arrecife.
Sea
Cloud Cruises has announced that the maiden voyage of the new Sea Cloud Spirit (currently under construction in Vigo), due to delays caused by COVID-19, will take place in the Canary Islands. Instead of crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean this autumn in mid-November, as originally planned, Sea Cloud Cruises has announced that the Sea Cloud Spirit will remain in the Canaries until April 2021. There have also been rumors that Sea Cloud might offer Canary Island cruises this winter, although it may be awaiting responses from TUI and Aida.
There aren't many cruise destinations in Europe during the winter season, and for the Canary Islands Government it is essential to recover winter tourism, first air transport, then sea transport, and gradually recovering the hotel sector.
Then, on April 14, its first cruise will begin, a four-day round trip from Las Palmas. Following that, it will depart from the Port of La Luz for Casablanca on a seven-night cruise with several stops in the Canary Islands.
Nicko Cruises
, like CroisiEurope, is a river cruise line that, after being acquired by Portuguese businessman Mario Ferreira, has entered the adventure cruise market with the construction of several ships in Viana do Castelo. This cruise line has also announced its commitment to the Canary Islands this coming winter with five new routes on its modern World Voyager, a ship still under construction in Portugal.
This vessel has 98 cabins and can accommodate up to 200 passengers. Among the new offerings is an eleven-day trip departing from Santa Cruz de Tenerife with stops in Casablanca and Safi (Morocco), Funchal, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, and La Gomera, before returning to Tenerife.
The Canary Islands will become the first autonomous community in Spain to offer cruise services after this activity ceased last March due to the COVID-19 health crisis.
Another new offering is a 16-day Christmas and New Year's trip. Specifically, the itinerary begins on December 22nd in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with stops in La Gomera, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Essaouira (Morocco), Madeira, and the Azores, before concluding in Lisbon on January 6th.
TUI
Cruises has been offering cruises from the Canary Islands continuously since the 2010-2011 season, with the exception of 2012-2013. This coming winter would therefore be its tenth season. Furthermore, in the last two seasons, TUI Cruises has deployed two ships in the Canary Islands, which were generally the largest and most modern in its fleet, starting with the Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2, its two flagship vessels. This coming winter, TUI Cruises had planned to serve the Canary Islands destination again with two ships: the Mein Schiff 3 and Mein Schiff 4.
The presence of an actor like TUI Cruises, the flagship cruise product of TUI, the world's largest tour operator, is therefore fundamental for the Canary Islands, but also for the operator itself, which has been waiting since July for the permits for its two ships to operate in the Canary Islands, first in September, then in October, and currently without a definite start date, although November is shaping up to be the most likely.
TUI Cruises was the first large ship operator to resume cruises when the Mein Schiff 2 set sail from Hamburg on July 24 for a three-night, non-stop North Sea itinerary. TUI offered only 60% of its capacity, which translates to approximately 1,740 passengers. The Mein Schiff 1 followed, sailing to the same destination.
And on September 13, the Mein Schiff 6 began offering week-long round-trip cruises from Crete, also at 60% occupancy. The MS 6 offers stops in Piraeus, Crete, and Corfu.
With this experience in the North Sea and the Mediterranean, the next destination to be recovered by TUI is the Canary Islands, where it has the support of the Autonomous Government, which is trying to convince the main wholesalers from source markets such as Germany or Scandinavia.
TUI is offering an interesting itinerary between the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands this coming winter.
TUI Cruises had planned to begin cruises in mid-September. Now they intend to dedicate their two largest ships to the Canary Islands: the Mein Schiff 2 was scheduled to begin cruises from Las Palmas on October 18th; and the Mein Schiff 1 from Santa Cruz on November 5th, 2020, with the ships operating at 60% capacity, all of them German-owned.
TUI Cruises plans to offer cruises in two stages: one only through the Canary Islands; and if all goes well, then with stops in Madeira and Agadir.
The Canary Islands ports have been the only ones in Spain to have had cruise ships decommissioned during the pandemic.
TUI Cruises offers several cruises from the Canary Islands on its website, maintaining its previous schedule: the classic seven-night tour from Las Palmas with stops in Madeira, La Palma, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, and back to Las Palmas. Another seven-night itinerary offered by TUI, also departing from Las Palmas, includes stops in Agadir, Arrecife, Tenerife, La Gomera, and back to Las Palmas. These itineraries can be combined into a two-week cruise. TUI's offerings also include an attractive cruise from Tenerife on the Mein Schiff 3 to Terceira and São Miguel in the Azores; and an eleven-night round-trip itinerary from Las Palmas to the Azores (São Miguel and Terceira), Funchal, La Gomera, La Palma, Lanzarote, and Tenerife.
The interest of the Autonomous Government is evidenced by the call made last Monday, August 31, by the president of the Canary Islands government, Ángel Víctor Torres, to Sebastian Ebel, responsible for Hotels & Resorts, Cruises, Destination Experiences and Contracting, and member of the board of Grupo TUI.
TUI's product in the new normal:
On all TUI cruises in the Covid-19 era, all passengers boarding any Mein Schiff ship require a negative Covid-19 test. The price of the test is included in the fare. And to prevent the pandemic from arriving with the crew, any new crew member undergoes a Covid-19 test on land before boarding. If they test negative, they then board, but only to enter a 14-day quarantine on board, in a cabin with a balcony. Only after this quarantine do they begin working alongside the rest of the crew.
This practice by TUI replicates the criteria of the EU Healthy Gateway COVID-19 guide, and convinced the Government of the Canary Islands.
Once on board, everyone has their temperature taken with a digital thermal imaging camera every morning. All check-in counters in the terminal and reception desks are equipped with plexiglass screens, and numerous hand sanitizer stations have been installed. People, sun loungers, and chairs must be kept 1.5 meters apart. And the use of face masks is mandatory in enclosed spaces: cabin corridors, elevators, etc. The nightclub and sauna are closed. But perhaps the best way to guarantee social distancing is for a ship designed for around 3,000 passengers to only carry half that number. TUI ships can also perform PCR tests on board.
CroisiEurope seeks to offer safety and proximity in a European destination like the Canary Islands.
Initially, TUI proposed cruises departing from German ports without stops. The second phase included port calls, but with optional "bubble" excursions, without contact with the local population, except for tour guides, coach drivers, etc. In this phase, passengers cannot freely explore the ports where the ship docks. And in a third phase, which now seems far off, passengers will be allowed to disembark freely.
TUI's ultra-luxury subsidiary, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, also resumed cruises on two of its ships at the end of July. In addition to implementing all of TUI Cruises' safety measures, it introduced a "reset day" between cruises. This allows for much more effective disinfection and cleaning, and eliminates any potential contact between passengers on different cruises.
TUI
Cruises is not the only cruise line specializing in the German market that has scheduled itineraries to the Canary Islands for the upcoming 2020/2021 winter season. The other German cruise giant, Aida, has also chosen the Canary archipelago as one of the first destinations where it will resume operations. Aida has offered cruises from the Canary Islands for eighteen consecutive seasons, since 2002-2003. It has only missed one season (2003-2004), and in recent winters it operated with three ships, always including its flagship. In the last two seasons, the LNG-powered megaship AidaNova, one of the most advanced vessels in the world, led the Aida fleet.
Aida Cruises, like TUI, had planned to resume operations in August from Hamburg and Kiel, but had to suspend them on August 3rd after not receiving permission from Italy, the registry under which all its ships sail. Aida Cruises decided to suspend its cruises until October 31st. The Canary Islands were scheduled to be the first destination where it would resume cruises on November 1st, initially a month earlier than in the Western Mediterranean.
TUI Cruises was the first cruise line to resume offering tourist cruises with large ships after the first wave of the pandemic.
However, on September 16, Aida Cruises announced that it was bringing forward its first cruise to October 17, departing from Civitavecchia. The seven-night itinerary is entirely Italian, with stops in Palermo and Catania in Sicily, Naples, and La Spezia. The ship will remain in Civitavecchia for two days. The season will end on November 28, 2020.
On September 16, it confirmed the rest of its autumn-winter itineraries, including trips from Las Palmas and Tenerife, and also from Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Islands). And it submitted the official request to the Spanish authorities.
The first ship to set sail will be the AidaMar, which will begin a seven-day itinerary on Sunday, November 1st, from Las Palmas to Funchal, Lanzarote, La Palma, and Tenerife. The port of embarkation and disembarkation will always be Las Palmas. The last cruise will depart from the Port of La Luz on April 4, 2021.
The aim is to guarantee the safety of cruise passengers in the Canary Islands with PCR tests at origin and destination
Starting November 7th, the AidaPerla will take over the cruise program originally intended for the flagship AidaNova, which has remained decommissioned all winter in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. These voyages will depart from either Las Palmas or Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Thus, Aida Cruises reduces its presence in the Canary Islands from three to two ships, but the value of this commitment in the current health conditions is incalculable.
Aida Cruises also plans to resume operations in other winter destinations. The AidaStella will begin sailing from Palma de Mallorca on December 12, offering seven-night cruises in the Western Mediterranean. And on December 11, the AidaPrima will depart from Dubai, offering cruises in the Persian Gulf.
Aida
Cruises has also worked diligently on its anti-Covid protocols, although unlike TUI, they haven't yet been tested. These measures include a COVID-19 test and passengers only being allowed to leave the ship for pre-booked optional excursions to maintain a bubble.
AIDA will also implement regular temperature checks for passengers and crew, physical distancing on board, and enhanced and increased disinfection. Passengers will also be encouraged to wear masks in public spaces.
The aim is to guarantee the safety of cruise passengers in the Canary Islands with PCR tests at origin and destination.
As for the buffets, which were the heart of dining on all AIDA ships, they will be less prominent, and all meals will be served at the table. The spa will be open, but reservations will be required and capacity will be limited; there will be leisure and entertainment, but initially no large parties in the nightclub or at the indoor and outdoor pools; the pools will be open, but with capacity restrictions.
Marella Cruises
, formerly known as Thomson Cruises, is one of the Canary Islands Port Authority's oldest and most frequent clients. In the 1990s, Thomson brought ships like the Island Breeze and the Topaz to the archipelago, pioneering vessels that, along with ships from the now-defunct Airtours, helped establish the Canary Islands as a cruise destination in the UK. Later, Thomson deployed more modern ships, such as the sister ships Thomson Spirit and Thomson Celebration, and the Thomson Destiny. During the 2019-2020 season, Marella Cruises was present in the Canary Islands with its flagship, the Marella Explorer.
This September, Marella Cruises suspended all winter sailings of the Marella Dream, its oldest ship, while the suspension for the rest of its fleet extends until November 15, 2020. From that date, their plans once again include the Canary Islands destination thanks to a new season of the Marella Explorer, with its first cruise scheduled for November 16 or 17, 2020, departing from Gran Canaria or Tenerife, respectively. Its sister ship, the Marella Explorer 2, is scheduled to begin its cruises on November 29, 2020, departing from Barbados.
Aida Cruises began offering cruises from Italy in mid-October
The itineraries listed on the Marella Cruises website are two, both with a stop in Funchal. One begins in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, continues to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, San Sebastián de la Gomera, Funchal, a sailing leg, Arrecife de Lanzarote, Puerto del Rosario, and returns to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The second begins in Tenerife, La Palma, Funchal, a sailing leg, Agadir, Arrecife, Las Palmas, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The main obstacle to this program is the current mandatory quarantines in the UK. Spanish state and regional authorities are actively working to lift these restrictions by opening safe travel corridors with the Canary Islands.
The Canary Islands, a haven for cruise ships.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made the Canary Islands a prime destination for dismantling cruise ships. With the arrival of the AidaLuna on September 18, the total number reached thirteen, with more expected in the coming days. The AidaNova, AidaMira, and Mein Schiff Herz have been anchored off Santa Cruz de Tenerife for months, sheltered by the Anaga mountain range, and the Ocean Nova is currently docked. They have been joined by the apartment ship The World, which had previously been dismantled in Plymouth.
Eight ships are currently docked in Las Palmas. Among them is the bulk of the SunStone Ship fleet, including the brand-new Greg Mortimer, the Ocean Adventurer, the Ocean Endeavour, and the Ocean Atlantic, all of which are inactive due to the cancellation of their Arctic program this past summer. The pair of cruising sailboats, Sea Cloud and Sea Cloud II, have also been moored at the Santa Catalina dock for several months. And the sister ships AidaStella and AidaBella are anchored there as well.
Other ships from companies like Silversea, TUI, and Costa have also chosen the Canary Islands as a port of refuge during periods of inactivity. For example, the Costa Fascinosa was anchored in Santa Cruz de Tenerife for more than three months after leaving Brazil.
The main problem for Marella Cruises is the quarantines imposed by the British government on travelers coming from Spain
This activity is further augmented by the cruise ships that make purchases in the Canary Islands. In Las Palmas, for example, more than thirty cruise ships have filled their tanks and their slops in the last six months.
Port authorities charge approximately 981 euros per day for each anchored vessel, and an occasional berth can cost more than three times that amount, over 3,000 euros, depending on the vessel's tonnage.
