Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Frank Del Rio said Monday he was confident the cruise company could set sail safely for the first time in more than a year this summer.
Earlier in the day, the company sent the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a proposal on how Norwegian cruise lines could resume operation in July. One of the proposed measures is that passengers and workers aboard their ships must be fully vaccinated weeks before disembarking and limiting the on-board capacity to 60%. The capacity would then be increased by 20% every 30 days.
“I urge you to tell me about another venue that has these kind of ironclad health and safety protocols. Cruise lines are becoming the de facto safest place in the world,” Del Rio told CNBC’s Jim Cramer in a “Mad Money “” Interview. “We want to start as safely as possible and that means … everyone on board has to be vaccinated.”
The company’s proposal and Del Rio’s comments come more than a year after the CDC issued a cruise order to sail due to Covid-19 outbreaks on multiple ships around the world.
In Norway, revenues fell 80% in 2020 as the pandemic upset the travel and vacation industries. Executives hope to resume operations and welcome more and more guests over time.
“It’s time to go cruising again,” said Del Rio. “I don’t mean to say that I dare the CDC do anything, but I want to hear any feedback that suggests this is not the best way to come back and cruise again.”
Norwegian stocks rose 7% on Monday, trading at $ 29.71 per share.
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