GEORGE TOWN: The much hoped-for return of cruise ship tourists to Malaysia by the thousands is not happening by mid-June as expected.

       At the earliest, the ships will be allowed to call on Malaysian ports in July.

       The reason: they are still officially banned from arriving, even when airplanes are flying in from around the country since April 1.

       Transport Ministry deputy undersecretary (maritime) Norhasliza Mat Salleh, who is coordinating the arrival of cruise ships, said she was baffled by why the ban was not lifted.

       “I spoke to officials at the Immigration Department, but there is still no word moving forward. The ban should have been lifted some time ago when the borders were reopened.

       “We can’t do anything as the ultimate power to allow foreign ships in lies with Immigration,” Norhasliza said.

       Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud has been contacted and The Star is awaiting his reply.

       For now, cruise ships have to adhere to the letter of maritime laws.

       Port Klang Authority general manager Capt K. Subramaniam said July was more likely now, since it was too late for cruise liners to come in June.

       He added that the Immigration Department should have removed the ban when the country’s borders were reopened on April 1.

       Malaysia issued a blanket ban on cruise ship arrivals in March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

       Throughout the world, when Covid-19 was flaring up before vaccines were rolled out, outbreaks in cruise ships were common, causing passengers and crew members to be quarantined on board.

       In Penang, tourism players were initially excited about welcoming Spectrum of the Seas, which has 16 passenger decks carrying 4,000 passengers (maximum of 6,000) that was due to arrive in mid-June.

       It is an ultra-class vessel that is recognised as one of the biggest in Asia.

       The liner was expected to call on Port Klang in early June from Singapore and then at Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal here before leaving for Phuket, Thailand.

       Penang Port Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Sasedharan Vasudevan expressed disappointment that Spectrum of the Seas could not call on Penang this month.

       “We have informed all stakeholders, including retail and transport associations, of the setback and will keep all tourism players updated,” he said.

       Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd International, which operates Spectrum of the Seas, said by email that there were no dates yet for the cruise liner to berth in Malaysia and the media would be informed of any updates around port of call.