Hurtigruten boss: Green cruising 'even more important' post-Covid

New onboard health and hygiene policies were unveiled during a Norwegian coastal voyage from Bergen onboard Finnmarken, carrying around 200 Norwegian and Danish guests.

Speaking onboard the vessel via video call on Wednesday (17 June) chief executive Daniel Skjeldam outlined some of the procedures introduced – including digital dining menus, face scanners for temperature checks and enhanced sanitisation of public areas.

He described how some parts of the ship had been blocked off to help with social distancing and glass screens installed in places where close contact between guests and crew is unavoidable. Extra space has also created around restaurant tables with guests eating at different times to ease crowding.

Skjeldam said from what he had seen so far onboard, guests were abiding by 1m social distancing rules, adding: “nobody is congregating or lining up for anything”.

The ship has a dedicated health and safety officer onboard, while facemasks are not mandatory and worn at the discretion of each passenger.

“Because we are able to socially distance and make sure things are sanitised and not being used by multiple guests, we don’t see the need to make masks a requirement,” Skjeldam added.

He said Hurtigruten’s return to service “does not mean the crisis is over for us or definitely not for cruise in general” but was hopeful of a strong bounce-back.