| Pause punishing suppliers

JOHN Sharpe, whose Brisbane-based company Riverlife operates the P&O Edge Adventure Park attractions on P&O Cruises Australia ships, has highlighted the need for a pathway to resume cruising, saying he has had to borrow nearly $1 million to enable his business to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sharpe is one of two cruise-connected businessmen to recently open up on the impact the suspension of cruising has had on the supplier community, with Inter-Marine Managing Director Graeme Blackman saying his company has also seen turnover plunge dramatically after cruise ships were sent away.

Blackman, whose business has provided services to the industry since P&O Australia operated Fairstar in the 1990s, said the outcome has been devastating, having spent 40 years in the maritime industry.

“In 2019-20, our gross turnover was $6.5 million but to date our turnover is just over $1 million from our land-based work so, without any shipping, we have dropped by approximately 80% overall,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we had to let a number of our staff go and we are down to the bare minimum at the moment just trying to survive until the ships come back…we have lost six permanent people.”

Inter-Marine’s Blackman and Ross DiBartolo are pictured.