Karl WP Beyer November 4, 2020 - According to RTL, the state of Schleswig-Holstein has banned the Hamburg shipping company TUI Cruises from operating cruises from this state. The ban will come into force on November 5, 2020.
TUI Cruises has been organizing so-called blue trips for some time. The rides of the Mein Schiff 1 start in Kiel and lead to the Baltic Sea. Going ashore is not permitted. The cruise line expressly disregarded the federal-state resolutions of Wednesday last week. The company responded to the "breakwater shutdown" by stating that it was not a domestic trip. The ship is underway in international waters, so the voyage is permitted.
Mein Schiff 1
The state of Schleswig-Holstein has banned these trips with immediate effect. A spokesman for the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Economics and Tourism is quoted as follows: "According to the federal-state resolutions of last Wednesday and the state ordinances that came into force on Sunday to contain the corona pandemic, all commercial tourist accommodation must be closed - for this purpose also count cruises and the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers ".
TUI Cruises according to RTL, refers to its own strict hygiene concept including the mandatory COVID-19 test procedure. The shipping company asked other German ports and found out that they too do not allow cruise operations. The blue voyages of Mein Schiff 1 have therefore been canceled. In contrast, the trips to Greece and the Canary Islands are taking place as planned.
