A survey carried out by CNN this Wednesday (2) shows that at least six cruise companies have withdrawn Russian and Ukrainian ports from sea routes since the beginning of the confrontation in Eastern Europe. These are Norwegian Cruise Line, Viking Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Cunard Line and MSC Cruises.
The route changes have been announced by companies since Friday (25), a day after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has already killed more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians and resulted in more than half a million refugees. Follow the special coverage of CNN.
In an official statement, MSC Cruises announced the withdrawal of the city of Saint Petersburg, Russia, from the company’s itineraries, due to “recent developments in the region and safety concerns”. As an alternative, the company will use the ports of Stockholm, Sweden, Helsinki, Finland, and Tallinn, capital of Estonia.
The British Cunard Line announced, on social media, that it has suspended all itineraries in the Baltic Sea, indefinitely, until the armed conflict is resolved. “Our top priority is compliance, environmental protection and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, crew members, ground employees and people,” the company posted on Twitter Wednesday.
Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed to CNN which will no longer operate in Ukrainian and Russian ports until the end of 2022.
in conversation with the CNN, finance professor at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) Pierre Souza explained the economic consequences of the war on the cruise industry. According to him, the companies will be directly and indirectly affected by the Russian advance in Ukrainian territory.
“On the one hand, the closing of the physical space, which restricts the movement of people. In addition, we also have the question of the price of gasoline. We have seen the rise in the price of oil, and this affects the sector, as companies have fuel as one of the main costs”, said the FGV professor.
Cruise season resumes in Brazil
More than 10,000 kilometers away from the war in Eastern Europe, cruise companies will resume operating in the Brazilian sea from next Saturday (5). The return was confirmed by the Brazilian Association of Cruise Ships (Clia) this Wednesday (2), through a document obtained exclusively by the CNN. The sector’s operations were interrupted at the beginning of the year, after the advancement of the Ômicron variant in the country.
The statement points out that operations in the country will resume with 19 routes, eight of which are final destinations. The states of Santa Catarina, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are included, including Balneário Camboriú, Itajaí, Porto Belo, Santos, Ilhabela, Rio de Janeiro, Angra dos Reis/Ilha Grande and Búzios.
Starting in November 2021, the cruise season was expected to carry more than 360,000 tourists, with a financial impact of BRL 1.7 billion. In addition, the sector expected to generate more than 24 thousand jobs, involving an extensive chain of segments of the economy, including commerce, food, transport, accommodation, tourist services, agency, receptive and fuel.
Source: CNN Brasil
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