Norwegian Cruise to return to U.S. sailing in August

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd announced it would return to sailing in the United States from Aug. 7, more than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic brought the industry to a virtual standstill.

The restart of cruising in the United States is contingent on obtaining a conditional sailing certificate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the company said, adding it expected approval in the coming days.

Norwegian Cruise had earlier planned to restart U.S. sailing in July, but later said the time needed to prepare its ships after receiving the go-ahead from the CDC could delay the restart.

Rivals Carnival Corp  and Royal Caribbean Group  last week said they also planned to return to sailing in the United States, starting in July.

The announcements came after the U.S. health agency began a key step for the eventual resumption of U.S. cruise industry operations by issuing new technical instructions, such as starting simulated trips and applying for a COVID-19 conditional sailing certificate.

Simulated voyages allow crew and port personnel to practice new COVID-19 operational procedures with volunteers before sailing with passengers.

Cruise companies have been sailing on and off in Europe and Singapore in the last few months.

Photo: A file photo of the Norwegian Spirit cruise ship . EPA-EFE/FILIP SINGER