TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After the Taiwan branch of Hong Kong-based Star Cruises announced it was laying off 28 employees, the company has only one ship left at a Taiwan port, reports said Thursday (Feb. 17).

The Explorer Dream resumed cruises around New Year’s Eve, offering trips to view the first sunrise of 2022 and island-hopping tours around Taiwan, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported. However, the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic harmed its business, leading to the ship being anchored in Keelung harbor since mid-January, according to Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC).

Officially, cruises with the Explorer Dream were suspended until the end of March, but TIPC officials cast doubt on returning to the seas, as the pandemic has not yet abated. Recent trips saw between 50 and 60 travelers onboard, partly due to the requirement that passengers needed to undergo quick COVID tests each time they boarded or disembarked, TIPC said.

According to regulations, even when docked inside the harbor, at least four crew members, including a captain, must be working on the ship. The Jan. 28 announcement by Star Cruises that it was laying off 28 out of 32 employees on Jan. 31 is currently being investigated, as labor laws require a 60-day period between the announcement and the dismissal of staff.

Because of the limited size of its staff, the Star Cruises travel agency did not violate any laws, the RTI report said.