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Singapore Is Launching Luxury Cruises to Nowhere Starting in November

Singapore News Cruises
by Eben Diskin Oct 9, 2020

The Singapore cruise industry is starting back up in November, but there’s a catch — the boats don’t actually stop anywhere.

The Singapore government approved luxury cruises to nowhere, perhaps following the lead of the several airlines scheduling scenic flights with no destination. The problem is, these “trips to nowhere” (whether by air or by sea) aren’t good for the environment, and the fact that they don’t actually have a destination makes their negative effect on the climate even more pointless.

Genting Cruise Lines’ World Dream will be the first to welcome passengers on November 6, with Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas following in December.

Guests on Singapore’s cruises will have to abide by extremely strict measures to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak. Passengers won’t be allowed to leave the ship for any reason during the entire journey, and masks will be mandatory at all times. Passengers must take COVID-19 tests, and fresh air will circulate via air-conditioning systems. Also, the ship will only sail at half capacity.

Environmental groups have never been pleased by the carbon footprint left by cruise ships, but that’s particularly true for those that don’t even go anywhere.

Lucy Gilliam, a shipping campaigner at Transport & Environment, said, “These ships can have a higher carbon footprint than flying in a jumbo jet. They’re burning significant amounts of fuel per passenger because they’ve essentially got a huge hotel load as well as amusements on top.”

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