The Government of the Canary Islands has authorized several shipping companies to operate cruise trips between the ports of the archipelago from November 5, once the companies have committed to complying with the strict health protocol agreed by the Ministries of Public Works, Transport and Housing and the Ministry of Health to guarantee the safety of both tourists and residents.
As reported by the Government of the Canary Islands, this concludes the negotiation process that began last summer when several shipping companies approached the autonomous Executive interested in activating the autumn-winter season of their cruises only between the Canary ports.
The companies TUI Cruises and Hapag Lloyd Cruises have been the first to obtain this authorization after both assumed, through a responsible declaration, full compliance with the health protocol established by the autonomous authorities.
Among the conditions that have been required of these shipping companies is to subscribe to an insurance policy to deal with possible incidents related to COVID-19 among passengers while operating in the Canary Islands.
They have also been required to arrange agreements with hospitals and hotels on each of the islands in case it is necessary to activate a quarantine, in addition to a special hygiene plan for the ships and the hiring of healthcare personnel to be on board.
Both ministries, considering that it is essential to recover this type of tourism due to the economic activity it generates in the archipelago, then agreed to establish a protocol that would guarantee all the health requirements related to the crisis generated by COVID-19.
After closing the aforementioned protocol last September, the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Housing, Sebastián Franquis, and the Minister of Health, Blas Trujillo, communicated to the presidents of the two port authorities of the islands the conditions that shipping companies had to meet in order to operate in Canary waters. Finally, the shipping companies have assumed these conditions and that is why the Canary Health Service authorizes cruises between the islands.
The Canary Government will only authorize this tourist activity to European companies, since the health protocols established by the EU are among the most demanding in the world. In this sense, about five European cruise tourism companies have already shown interest in the Canary winter circuit. In addition, cruise companies will be required to ensure that their ships do not exceed 60 or 70% of their capacity.
Another of the control measures set by the Government of the Canary Islands is to require shipping companies to have all travelers tested before arriving in the Canary Islands, a diagnostic test (PCR or serological test) that proves they are negative for coronavirus.
In addition, cruise passengers must fill out a form with all their movements in the last 15 days before arriving in the Canary Islands to monitor them in case of an incident, and confirm if they have had any contact with people who tested positive for coronavirus or if they themselves have tested positive in a recent diagnostic test.
The first ships to make cruises between the islands will be the Mein Schiff II, from TUI and based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and the Europa II, from Hapag Lloyd, based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
