SOME cruise lines are hoping to set sail later this summer but with images of coronavirus-ravaged ships still fresh in many minds, the industry could face years of choppy water ahead.
Since they stopped sailing, Carnival, Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line — which control 75 per cent of the market — have furloughed thousands of staff and obtained billions in bank loans to stay afloat.
But most big cruise lines are using this time to refine their plans, upgrade their ships and figure out how to resume safely.
Cruise companies are talking to US regulators, to foreign ports and to each other, said Brian Salerno, senior vice-president for maritime policy at the Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group that represents 95 per cent of ocean cruise companies.
Cruise companies will have to make health and safety a major part of their marketing, for example,
More liberal cancellation policies could also stick.
