A Genting-brand casino cruise ship on a circular trip to offshore waters has returned to Singapore after a passenger tested positive for evidence of Covid-19 infection, according to media reports.
The nearly 3,000 passengers and crew on Dream Cruises’ World Dream (pictured in a file photo), a vessel in the casino cruise fleet of Genting Hong Kong Ltd, have been confined to their cabins.
The 40-year-old passenger was taken to hospital for more tests after the ship docked in the early hours of Wednesday, according to the Singapore Tourism Board.
“The passenger was identified as a close contact of a confirmed case on land, and was immediately isolated as part of on-board health protocols,” the board said in a statement.
The passenger’s three travelling companions tested negative and were isolated while further contact tracing was being done, the tourism board added.
In a separate statement, the cruise operator said that full cleaning and sanitisation were being carried out on World Dream, including all areas previously visited by the passenger. World Dream’s next scheduled sailing, due to depart on Wednesday, has been cancelled, added the operator.
Dream Cruises also said that since the resumption of cruise sailing from Singapore in November, the World Dream vessel has had 103 sailings with more than 130,000 guests, with no Covid-19 incidents onboard.
Singapore permitted a resumption of “round trips” on luxury liners in November, with no port of call during a few days of sailing.
Genting Hong Kong has been struggling financially amid the dramatic reduction in cruise ship business amid the pandemic.
The firm said in a late June filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it had concluded a series of deals aiming “to provide further capital and stability to the group”. The group said the deals, first announced in May, involved: access to new loan facilities amounting to about US$700 million; amendment and extension of its existing financial indebtedness; and provision of “backstop funding” arrangements to address future liquidity needs.
According to Genting Hong Kong, the set of deals would “create a stable runway” for the firm “to execute a fully-funded business plan aligned with anticipated market recovery as Covid-19 restrictions ease”.
