What will they do with the empty ships?

[JeffElizabeth]

With even land bars and local restaurants shutting down in the US, I think these ships will be laid up at cheap ports for more than two months with skeleton crews. 

[ShipWalker]

1 hour ago, JeffElizabeth said:

With even land bars and local restaurants shutting down in the US, I think these ships will be laid up at cheap ports for more than two months with skeleton crews. 

I've already written to my local port with that suggestion.

[Djptcp]

DH and I took my brother-in-law to the Tampa Airport this afternoon and we could see two Carnival ships docked at the Port of Tampa. Probably the Legend and the Paradise since they sail regularly out of Tampa. Two Royal Caribbean ships that also sail regularly out of Tampa weren't there. I read this morning that Jaxport is going to store some cruise ships there.

[sailingdutchy]

If you are interested of what is happening on the ships and what is happening with most of the crew who is still on board  have a look at Captain Albert's blog on the HAL website who is on the Rotterdam still in Puerto Vallarta .

He has written now for  a couple of days when the ship has been without any guests which is very interesting  Remember the crew is under contract for a certain number of months and are being paid their basic wages .

 

 

[RedmondCruiser]

I found where all the ships are.   They appear to be anchored in two groups NW of Nassau.  There are five ships in one group and eight in the other.  It also looks like the Veendam and the Zuiderdam are headed that way.  There are also two boats anchored off of Ft Lauderdale.   If they were docked then they would incur port charges therefore this looks like the smart thing to do.  Lots of painting and maintenance will undoubtedly be going on.

[panoramaofthepast]

On 3/10/2020 at 1:04 AM, I like vacation said:

Park them in the upper Hudson River like the "mothball fleet" of surplus WW II ships.  IF they can fit under the bridges.

 We just got off Zuiderdam. According to several crew members, this is what may/will be happening:

The ship is due to be sanitized, then will sail to the Bahamas for 10 days; return to Ft. Lauderdale for restocking and back to the Bahamas. The crew must stay on board the whole time, except for one day when the ship will go to Half Moon Cay and the crew will have the island to themselves. 

Crew members will have assigned duties fro several hours a day; otherwise, the ship has organized activities [like Spanish classes, swim lessons] which they can participate in. They will have the run of the ship during this time. 

The crew was trying to put a brave face on all this, but they are facing at least four weeks of no tips to supplement their incomes and an uncertain future. Those whose contracts ended in Ft. Lauderdale were allowed to leave. 

[Copper10-8]

Some info about "lay-ups" from Cruise Industry News:

 

Cruise lines are quickly familiarizing themselves with three lay up scenarios based on best practices from the offshore and tanker industries. They are hot, warm and cold lay ups.

 

So far, lines have opted for hot lay ups, meaning a full complement of deck and engine crew, the ship located close to regular itinerary options, and being ready to return to service at a moment’s notice.

The hot lay up scenario envisions a return to service within a few months. Certificates are kept current but operational costs are reduced.

 

A warm lay up option has vessel crewing reduced, and routine maintenance reduced while essential machinery is kept in operation. The timeline scenario for a warm lay up is for a period of up to 12 months out of service. Cruise lines may have a challenge finding ports granting permission for warm lay ups due to local restrictions.

Finally, a more extreme measure may be a cold lay up, with a ship out of service for several years. Vessel crewing is reduced to the bare minimum for fire, flood and security monitoring. The best berth option for cold lay up would be a cost efficient remote area, preferably in cooler water to limit growth on the hull. Reentering service would most likely require a lengthy stay in a drydock.

 

Other factors include local weather conditions, emissions regulations, security and shoreside infrastructure to provision the ship.

[avian777]

20 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

Some info about "lay-ups" from Cruise Industry News:

 

Cruise lines are quickly familiarizing themselves with three lay up scenarios based on best practices from the offshore and tanker industries. They are hot, warm and cold lay ups ...

 

 

 Thanks, John, for the info - as usual, it is to-the-point, accurate, timely and non-hysterical.  May God's blessings continue to be on you and your family as we work our way through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Edited March 21, 2020 by avian777