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The Australian Federal Government’s plans to repatriate Australians stranded overseas by plane are an abject failure and in tatters, due to the quarantine hotel spaces cap and the Federal Government has also failed to create any alternative plan to repatriate the 40,000 Australians overseas, with a serious constitutional crisis happening right now.

In the meantime, two Australians, an experienced cruise specialist Jordan Smith and a very well-known cruise specialist and cruise journalist John Alwyn-Jones have been hard at work on a plan to either bring stranded Australians home on cruise ships, with quarantine on the way, or fly them home as there are plenty of airline seats available to Australia with carriers such as Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and others and then use cruise ships for quarantine off the coast of Australia, both of which would resolve the hotel quarantine cap scenarios and most of all get Aussies home quickly and safely.

The proponents said that they have had discussions with a senior representative of the Federal Government and cruise industry associations and operators with it appears the Government in a severely risk averse mode, with the proponents saying that is because the Government including Ministers in influential positions, simply do not understand cruise ships and how this is very safe methodology to resolve this major issue.

The proponents say that it appears that the key focus at the moment and which they support, is described as engaging with the Federal Govt on a health framework to facilitate a pathway to domestic cruising for domestic passengers while international borders remain closed, with critical to this is to agree an appropriate carefully managed mechanism for the ships and their crew to be able to return to Australia, demonstrating to health authorities that this does not create any additional risk vector for the virus to enter Australia.

The industry association said that they are are working with local and global medical experts, and have delivered comprehensive prevention, mitigation and response health protocols to underpin a phased resumption of cruising in Australia, with the success of similar resumption in Asia demonstrates that this can be achieved, which the proponents say that the success of safe cruising, only in Asia, but also in Europe proves that with the right protocols in place, domestic cruising and in particular repatriation cruises can be operated.

The proponents said that the Government representative was very positive about exploring this initiative and was already in discussion with Government, with the proponents having contacted the Hon Michael McCormack and the Hon Dan Tehan, but no response has been received.

The proponents fully understand that regarding the health and safety aspects any repatriation cruise or cruises ship quadratine would need to operate under the strictest protocols created or required by the Australian government and its advisors and any other required protocols,  which may be similar or based upon those for example for domestic cruising, with for example, the added bonus of a minimum 14 days quarantine on board, a controlled pre Australia arrival environment, a high quality on board medical facilities environment, rigorous testing before and ongoing through the transit, and also potentially vaccination before boarding a requirement if it can be procured.

The proponents are confident that over and above the technical challenges this presents for cruise operators – all what currently appear to be what some might call roadblocks  overcome, with this also an excellent positive opportunity for the cruise sector to step up and save stranded Australians, while at the same time demonstrating the excellence of cruise ship COVID protocols and safety while also getting some ships out of warm lay-up and operating and some crews working.

This is an article written back in September by John Alwyn-Jones

https://eglobaltravelmedia.com.au/the-perfect-solution-to-get-stranded-aussies-back-home-and-it-is-not-planes/

Please feel free to read the article but the essence of it is summarised below with some minor additions/changes.

  • Reportedly, there are over 330 cruise ships laid up all over the world right now, with 33 around the UK alone doing nothing.
  • With 25,000 Australians reportedly stranded and at say 50% capacity of an average 3,000 guest ship, so say 1.550 guests per ship, that is only just over 16 ships, so let’s call it 20 ships!  That is not even all the ships laid up in the UK!
  • So, how would it work?
  • These ships or at least the ones that could be brought into service quickly, could be deployed to pick up in the various locations where the majority of the stranded Aussies are located or on the way to Australia, with the routes reflecting those locations, with only short flights or road trips required to get to the embarkation ports.
  • The guests would all be tested preboarding along with any other required protocols and tests and placed into immediate quarantine on board.
  • The guests would all also be tested throughout the voyage, only released from quarantine on board after a number of negative tests,
  • In addition cruise ships have first class medical teams and facilities, with the bonus that let’s say a voyage to Australia from Europe with only technical refuelling stops takes around four weeks, while two weeks would be in quarantine, two weeks could be the stunning bonus of a two week cruise!
  • The guests could be put in balcony cabins only and until their onboard quarantine is over they would not be allowed into public areas, with strict social distancing.
  • This is very much what crew joining ships are doing today to keep them going in lay-up or those operating cruises have to do
  • The guests could also take pretty well unlimited luggage with them!
  • The on board protocols for when they are out of quarantine onboard could be very much like the very strict protocols visionary companies like MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises are already using with what appears to be significant success.
  • If per chance there was some sort of outbreak then it is very straightforward to isolate guests and also place the whole ship in quarantine and also if the medical facilities become under too much pressure additional medical support can be provided to the ship.
  • The best part of all this is that from our rough calculations, it could cost no more and probably a lot less than flights and move significantly more people.
  • In addition, hotel quarantine would not be required in Australia, as quarantine would have been completed on board, in the ship’s bubble, with the risk of any infection being brought into Australia eradicated.
  • The process also helps the cruise companies utilise their ships and get their crew working.
  • Alternatively the stranded guests could be flown to Australia.
  • There is very large amount of airline capacity available.
  • They would be flown to an airport such as Brisbane very close to the cruise port,
    The guests would be transferred by highly secure means to the relevant ship,
  • The ship could either stay at the port under strict security or guards or could sail offshore for 14 say minimum quarantine with the appropriate tests, vaccinations etc taking place.

This is a serious proposal created and proposed by experts in tourism.

An article and report by John Alwyn-Jones