With No Passengers Aboard, Vessels Scheduled to be at PMT for Two Months

The Port of Virginia will provide berth space at Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) beginning Monday, May 4, to three cruise ships that need a temporary home during the cruise industry’s voluntary suspension of U.S. cruise operations.

“The cruise industry has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 outbreak and this is one way we can help a member of the larger maritime industry,” said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “We have told the cruise industry that we stand ready to help, to the extent that we can. These vessels need a place where they can tie-up, get fresh water, restock food and service their systems. We’re ready to provide them a temporary place to call home.”

All of the ships, the Bliss, Encore and Spirit, are owned and operated by Norwegian Cruise Line and have been rotating berth space in Florida with other cruise ships for the past month. None of the vessels has had any passengers aboard since March 24 and all are operating with crews of 175 or less, which is a fraction of their normal crew size.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requiring all crew members to stay aboard their vessel while it is on berth at PMT and this rule will be enforced by officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Any requests for an exception must be made to USCBP and will be considered on a case-by-case basis in full consultation with the CDC.

Since the outbreak of the virus, empty cruise ships have been seeking temporary berth opportunities at multiple ports, with Florida taking the greatest share of the vessels. For a cruise ship it is more economical to idle at a port rather than at sea because it does not burn as much fuel and provides easy access to service the vessel and its crew.

In order to be accepted into the Norfolk Harbor and allowed to dock at PMT, Norwegian Cruise Line had to submit crew manifests and a plan of operation during their stay at The Port of Virginia for review to the CDC, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Virginia Department of Health. Each agency approved the plan before the vessels were allowed into Virginia waters.

The vessels will be at PMT through the end of June.