The first cruise liner since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic moored at berth No. 15 of the Odessa sea port on September 28. The passenger ship Sea Dream II (flag - Bahamas) delivered to Odessa about 60 tourists, mainly citizens of the United States and Canada.

The liner makes a cruise between the ports of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, starting from Athens. The previous port of call before Odessa was Constanta (Romania). On September 29 the ship left for Varna (Bulgaria). The ship is 50% full of tourists.

On the eve of the event of the first cruise ship since the beginning of the pandemic, the administration of the Odessa port, together with the “Laboratory Center of the Ministry of Health on Water Transport”, developed and implemented an operational “Plan of measures for epidemic safety in servicing cruise ships”. The document takes into account the recommendations of WHO, IMO and published European health standards introduced to ensure the safety of passengers and crew members of passenger liners from infection with the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Visits of foreign passenger ships to the port of Odessa were terminated in 2016 due to the deterioration of the situation in the Black Sea region. In five years, only two mooring operations were carried out in the port: on June 14, 2017, the Island Sky expedition liner with 104 tourists on board arrived at the port, on October 30, 2019, the Amera motor ship with 750 tourists on board moored at the Odessa sea port.

Currently, the port administration has received 31 applications for visits to Odessa by cruise ships in the 2022 season.