The Coronavirus Pandemic Claims Yet Another Cruise Line

Last week we blogged about the Spain-based cruise company Pullmantur, which recently declared itself insolvent as a result of financial strains caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, another cruise line has made a similar announcement.

ThePointsGuy.com reports that Sweden-based cruise company Birka Cruises has announced that it will cease operations after suffering over 3 months without revenue. 

Birka Cruises operates out of Stockholm Sweden, offering two, three, and four-night Baltic cruises as well as day trips. 

It is not immediately clear what will happen to the company’s only cruise ship, the 16-year-old Birka Stockholm which can carry up to 1,430 passengers. 

In a statement, Birka said that the coronavirus had hit the company hard and that “The uncertainty about how travel will develop has also contributed to our having to make this decision after evaluating all possible alternatives.”

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of cruise ship crew members remain stranded aboard over a dozen vessels, awaiting repatriation to their home countries.