TUI Mein Schiff 2 has restarted operations for the first time since the industry was shut down because of the coronavirus, Sailing with 1,200 people on board.
“Mein Schiff 2” — “My Ship 2”— set sail for a weekend cruise in the North Sea on Friday night, the dpa news agency reported.
Occupancy was limited to 60% so passengers can keep their distance. There were 1,200 people on board compared to the ship’s normal 2,900 capacity. The ship sailed from the port of Hamburg toward Norway, and passengers will spend the weekend at sea with no land stops before returning to Germany on Monday.
TUI's Instagram account for the ship posted an image on social media ahead of its departure.
"Today it finally starts again," TUI wrote in the caption of the post, translated from German. "Mein Schiff 2 is ready and so are we."
Onboard, passengers and crew are required to stay 5 feet away or wear protective masks and won’t serve themselves at the ship’s buffet. All passengers filled out a health questionnaire before boarding and had temperature checks.
After being shut down for months, German cruise ship companies hope shorter, strictly controlled trips will help restart the business.
In June, TUI Cruises' parent company, TUI Group, announced it would restart some holiday operations during the summer in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium. At the time, the company said it expected to operate at 30% of its full capacity. They noted they had "implemented comprehensive health and safety protocols on board" and that TUI Cruises planned to resume operations for three to four-day cruises during the summer in the North and Baltic seas with reduced capacity. They noted that the two other TUI group subsidiary lines, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Marella Cruises, were also expected to resume operations sometime this summer, later announcing Hapag-Lloyd would resume towards the end of July.
Like TUI Cruises, German cruise line AIDA, a Carnival Corp. subsidiary, has announced plans to restart operations in August.
"We are taking a measured approach with a few initial ships within our AIDA line in Germany," Roger Frizzell, Carnival Corp. spokesperson, told USA TODAY. "We have been leveraging medical and science advisors, but this will helps us gain additional insight with the initial protocols being put in place."
AIDA's first ship to hit the high seas once again will be its AIDAperla, which will sail from Hamburg on Aug. 5, according to a release shared by Frizzell.
A week after AIDAperla makes her return, AIDAmar will sail from the Baltic port of Warnemünde near Rostock on Aug. 12. AIDAblu will follow on Aug. 16, sailing from Kiel. Bookings for the three sailings were opened to the public on Thursday.
To ensure passengers' onboard safety, AIDA worked with authorities to create new health standards including regional and national government authorities in Germany, that country's public health institute and the World Health Organization, according to Frizzell. The revamped health protocol begins during the booking process, through preparation for cruising, and continues through embarkation, the voyage, disembarkation and the return of passengers to their homes.
"We have been consulting and assembling the best minds in medical science, public health and infectious disease control," Frizzell added.
The AIDA health protocol will be in accordance with the EU Healthy Gateways guidance.
