CLIA: "Hope and Optimism" for Cruise Sector in 2021

Mardi Gras is Carnival's fourth LNG-powered ship. Image Credit: Meyer Turku

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) says there is "hope and optimism" for the sector in 2021 after it was brought to a virtual standstill in March of this year by measures taken in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

From a marine fuel perspective this did not translate into zero bunker consumption, however, as the sector instead faced the challenge of repatriating its crew.

Earlier this year, Michael McNamara, Vice President Global Fuel Supply at Carnival Corporation, was among those to note the additional logistical challenges this caused as vessels moved away from their usual fixed-route schedule to behave more akin to tramp operators.

"CLIA cruise lines defied the odds and overcame unprecedented challenges to repatriate over 100,000 crew members, often via ship due to commercial air travel restrictions and other barriers," the association wrote in its latest 2021 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook.

While a full restart for cruise next year is still not certain, CLIA indicated there was plenty to be positive about, not least of which being the introduction of a host of new COVID-focused safety measures including 100% passenger and crew testing, health evaluations, and strict protocols for shore excursions.

From early July through mid-December 2020, CLIA said there was more than 200 sailings and that "the success of these initial sailings demonstrates that the new protocols are working as designed — to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 among passengers, crew and the destinations cruise ships visit."

"The industry is on a path to resumption in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and elsewhere in 2021."

Of course, service startup is one thing; the critical question is whether customers will want to cruise again. According to CLIA, the answer to that is yes.

According to the report: 74% of cruisers are likely to cruise in the next few years; 2 out of 3 cruisers are willing to cruise within a year; and 58% of international vacationers who have never cruised are likely to cruise in the next few years.

Other bunker-related points of interest from the report include:

• LNG: 24 ships on orderbook through 2027 committed to be powered by LNG, which translates into 49% of new capacity on order relying on gas bunkers for primary propulsion.
• Scrubbers: More than 69% of global capacity utilizes EGCS and 96% of non-LNG new builds will have EGCS installed.
• Shore Power: 58% of new capacity is committed to being shore power compatible, 25% of existing capacity will be retrofitted to use shore power 32% of global fleet capacity already capable of using shore power)