Saga Cruises, the UK based luxury market operator, said it has become the first cruise operator to be awarded new Covid-19 health assurance accreditation by Lloyd's Register, the maritime safety experts.

“The move is a crucial step ahead of the planned return of cruise operations in spring next year in a Covid-secure environment,” the company said in a satement.

“Lloyd's Register has awarded Saga the Shield+ accreditation, the highest category of health assurance they have. The new framework has been created to reduce risk and provide greater confidence in the safety procedures of operators against the introduction of infectious diseases onboard cruise ships, including Covid-19, Norovirus and common flu, as the industry works with government to restart an industry that employs 88,000 people and is worth £10bn a year to the British economy,” the companysaid.

Saga Cruises is part of the listed Saga plc group that offers a range of products from travel to financial services to those over the age of 50. It has two ships, Spirit of Discovery and Spirit of Adventure, both of roughly 56,000 gross tons

Being awarded the accreditation demonstrates that Saga exceeds the compliance criteria in every category set out by the UK Chamber of Shipping in their guidance for COVID Secure Cruising, which has been supported by the government.

The safety accreditation is assessed against six key categories covering every aspect of ship safety where health risks are elevated: medical, policy, food, ventilation, accommodation and water.

Award of the accreditation follows months of detailed planning from Saga, designing and putting in place detailed new procedures to meet the highest standards of health and safety.

Saga said its ships have been surveyed and inspected in all key areas and the accreditation has been awarded for both the Spirit of Discovery and the Spirit of Adventure, which was delivered from Meyer Werft in Germany earlier this autumn and is due to set sail for the first time in May 2021.