| Scenic cancels Kimberley season

SCENIC Group will not operate its highly anticipated 2021 Kimberley cruise program aboard Scenic Eclipse, saying that there remains too much uncertainty about the lifting of restrictions on cruising in Australian waters.

General Manager Sales & Marketing Australasia Anthony Laver said at the time the program was launched (CW 03 Mar) “we were confident that by late Jun 2021 we would be able to deliver a unique experience for our guests,” with the vaccination schedule looking promising and anticipation that lockdowns and border closures would no longer be required.

“We were preparing to bring Scenic Eclipse from the Northern Hemisphere to Australia with a fully quarantined, tested and vaccinated crew, on a 30 day journey at sea and to operate in full compliance with the strict procedures specified by the various Government agencies.

“However, with the continued uncertainty on the timing for permits and approvals to be granted, it is not possible for us to relocate the ship and crew in the hope that at some stage these restrictions may be lifted.”

Scenic’s local cruise program had been scheduled to kick off on 19 Jun, comprising five voyages operating between Broome and Darwin and allowing passengers to experience the vessel, which has undergone a makeover during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chairman and Founder, Glen Moroney, has written to impacted guests, saying “as you can imagine this decision was not taken lightly.

“Being a proudly Australian-founded company, bringing Scenic Eclipse home for you to experience this ultra-luxury Discovery Yacht would have truly been a dream come true for us.”

Moroney said the move followed months of ongoing liaison with the relevant federal, state and territory government authorities, agencies and national health committees to ensure Scenic complied with all the various requirements.

“However despite our best efforts, the current restrictions on foreign flagged vessels in the Kimberley region to carry a maximum of 150 people also makes it impossible for Scenic Eclipse to operate.

“There is no certainty as to when these restrictions will be lifted,” Moroney said.

Scenic Eclipse remains in the Northern Hemisphere, currently located in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Croatia.

Scenic last week returned its Portugal cruises to operation.