#Singapore reportedly wants to save tourism industry with ‘cruises to nowhere’

It could be a while before cruises are back to normal, but if you miss the open seas, a “cruise to nowhere” might be just what you’re looking for.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is reportedly working on protocols for “cruises to nowhere” to begin operating in Singapore, according to a report earlier this week from The Straits Times.

The newspaper reported that the board hired a risk management company to help develop a plan for cruise companies to follow.

“Cruises to nowhere” are short sailing trips into international waters that typically last one or two nights, but then return to the same port from where the ship left. The website also noted that U.S. law prohibited cruises to nowhere from U.S. ports as of 2016, according to CruiseCritic.com.

According to a report from The Washington Post, cruise operators would need to pass safety certifications and would likely have to operate at 50 percent capacity.

Full details of the safety protocols will be announced later, Rachel Loh, STB’s regional director of the Americas, told The Post.

It is unclear when these Singapore cruises will set sail or what cruise lines will participate.

According to The Post, Norwegian and Celebrity cruise lines — which both operate in Singapore — have announced they won’t run cruises until at least the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Princess Cruises — which also operates in Singapore — has said it won’t operate until mid-December, The Post reported.

News of Singapore’s possible “cruises to nowhere” comes soon after Singapore Airlines announced that it would not offer “flights to nowhere” and would instead turn one of its planes into a pop-up restaurant.

Though the airline had previously considered running short plane rides that take off and land at the same airport, it changed its mind after the plan was criticized for the environmental impact it would have.