Ministry of Environment Releases Coronavirus Safety Guidebook for Cruise Ships, Yachts and Boats

We've all heard the horror stories. A cruise ship goes out into the ocean or the sea with aspirations to do nothing more than to spend weeks on buffets and galabeya nights - and yet all it takes is one passenger with the Coronavirus to turn an endless party into an inescapable trap. So with the gradual return of Egypt’s tourism industry, the Ministry of Environment has released a special Coronavirus safety guidebook to be used by cruise ships, yachts and boats to ensure the safety of tourists and crew members alike. If followed, the guidelines also should ensure that the return of aquatic tourism does not interfere with wild marine life – which had been thriving during the lockdown due to lack of human activity.

The new guidelines require all yacht owners to ensure proper sterilisation and disinfecting procedures, and to completely avoid throwing any items into the sea, or using seawater to clean any objects on deck, in order to protect the surrounding marine environment. The guide also bans the use of single-use plastic on yachts and cruise ships unless absolutely necessary, but that non-plastic alternatives should always be available on deck, and that tourists should be encouraged to bring their own reusable tools. The guide also requires that all COVID-19 precautionary supplies (gloves and face masks etc.) are disposed of in a separate trash compartment, and is to be sanitized and properly stored away to avoid chances of infection of everybody on board.

This guide is subject to change depending on the response of the marine environment of the returning human activity, and pending further updates on Coronavirus.