Empty cruise ships in Scotland being used as holiday accommodation

The coronavirus pandemic means that many cruise companies are still unable to sail

St Hilda Sea Adventures (St Hilda Sea Adventures)

Many cruise liners around the world are still unable to sail and take passengers, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions on travel.

So a Scottish brand, St Hilda Sea Adventures, based in Dunstaffnage Marina, near Oban, has decided to turn its fleet of boats into self-catering accommodation for guests.

A spokesperson for the family-run company told The Independent that that decision had been made after repeatedly rescheduling cruises and being unable to do them.

“We kept having to reschedule, month by month,” she explained. “And so we decided to do this instead, they are moored where we are based, and can be prepared as a cottage or holiday house.”

It has three ships - St Hilda, Seahorse and Gemini Explorer - which normally take passengers on cruises of the Highlands and Islands of West Scotland, to the Outer and Inner Hebrides.

The company website says: “We anchor in the most sheltered, idyllic places, in some of Scotland's world famous islands such as Skye, St Kilda, Mull, Jura, Islay, Staffa and Iona where you can observe the wildlife, fish, swim in the sea lochs, play golf, visit famous malt whisky distilleries or just go ashore and explore.”

Although guests now won’t be able to travel anywhere, they still have a chance to get on the water and enjoy the delights of boat living. There is no crew onboard during the guest’s stay.

The spokesperson confirmed that the setup will continue throughout the winter months until April 2021, when “hopefully” they will be able to offer cruises as per normal.  

“We have had a lot of interest,” she said. St Hilda sleeps six and costs from £204 per night. Seahorse sleeps up to 11 and costs from £396 per night. Gemini Explorer is an old lifeboat that accommodates eight guests from £300 per night.

All the vessels have been “converted to cruise the western islands of Scotland in comfort and style” says the website.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, cruising passenger numbers from the UK and Ireland reached over two million in 2017, and accounted for the biggest market in Europe after Germany.

But with the Diamond Princess cruise liner playing host to the biggest outbreak of coronavirus outside of China back in February, there has been some reluctance to give ships the green light to set sail once more.