Vessel activity in the cruise segment has returned to the levels seen before the outbreak of COVID-19, according to consultancy Clarksons Research, Ship & Bunker reports.
In North America and the Caribbean activity is now above pre-COVID levels, while in Asia it remains 40% down, the company said in an emailed statement on Monday. The firm is measuring vessel activity by port calls. Cruise demand plummeted in 2020 amid concern over the spread of COVID-19.
"Newbuilding investment is now focused on the small luxury cruise market, with shipyards in China and Europe increasingly active and potential for new entrants on the operator side," the company said. "The pre-Covid-19 build program continues to deliver from European yards, but some of the longer term investment plans for large cruise vessels have been scaled back."
Some 65% of the newbuild orderbook in the cruise segment will be capable of running on alternative fuels, and more than a quarter of it will have significant energy-saving technologies, according to the research.