Singapore, October 18, 2020: Genting Cruise Lines said on Thursday (Oct 15) that it is recruiting Singaporeans to work on its ship World Dream, just weeks before the commencement of a pilot scheme allowing two cruise lines to resume services with enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols.
More than 100 jobs will be available, covering all aspects of cruise ship operations, including marine officers, galley chefs, media technicians, as well as hospitality staff such as “cruise ambassadors” who will be in charge of guest relations.
“The search for talent will encompass a broad local footprint ranging from ex-naval or maritime officers and crew to the hard-hit food and beverage sector and the hotel and hospitality industry,” said Genting Cruise Lines in a press release.
A series of joint activities, learning projects and internship programmes will also be made available to students and graduates keen to explore a career in the cruise and tourism related sector, as part of the company’s memorandum of understanding with Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic and the Institute of Technical Education.
Earlier this month, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) announced that two cruise lines – Genting Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International – will be allowed to offer “cruises to nowhere” starting Nov 6.
Genting Cruise Lines will be allowed to operate its ship World Dream, while Royal Caribbean will operate Quantum of the Seas. Both ships’ home ports are in Singapore.
These cruises will be round-trips with no ports of call. They are allowed a maximum capacity of 50 per cent made up of only Singapore residents, said STB.
“To provide our guests with the highest level of service and hospitality, we are looking within the Singapore talent pool to fill many different positions available on board World Dream,” said Mr Michael Goh, president of Dream Cruises, one of the brands under Genting Cruise Lines, which is a division of Genting Hong Kong according to the reports published in channelnewsasia.com.
Mr Goh said that while cruise lines have typically relied on international crews, Genting Cruise Lines is reaching out to Singaporeans now to provide a boost to the local economy.
“To help alleviate the severe job losses in the domestic economy due to COVID-19, Genting Cruise Lines is committed to hiring as many Singaporeans as possible,” he said.
Traditionally, the cruise industry can require crews to spend up to 11 months at sea before they get a one-month vacation, but the structure of World Dream’s short cruises – dubbed “Super Seacation” experiences – means that working arrangements are more flexible.
“As World Dream operates short two- and three-night cruises, Singaporeans joining as crew can work on the ship with shorter work arrangements that could allow them to see their families frequently,” Mr Goh said.
“This will make it very attractive for Singaporeans who have lost their jobs in the travel industry during this pandemic.”
