https://gusskinnerconsulting.com/ Volume 4 – Issue #84 https://www.gphsconsulting.com/
The cruise industry has long acknowledged the cumulative negative impact of illness outbreaks. COVID-19 presents a frightful situation. From a public health perspective, though, we shift from Distress to Redress and Address. Leader-SHIP is the newsletter that interweaves media articles and cruise industry responses to provide guidance on actions being taken against the novel coronavirus. It negates forces of disruption and decline with measures for steadfastness ultimately having you enhance the practice of public health in your own life and of those around you.
PLEASE NOTE THIS ISN’T A COMPLETE LISTING OF MEDIA ARTICLES BUT A SNAPSHOT ONLY.
In this Issue: - Royal Caribbean To Eliminate Buffets on Post-Coronavirus Cruises - Cruise line to come back in 'fits and starts' with new range of destinations - 63 Days Stuck at Sea: Protest Erupts on Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas - Barbados Takes Humanitarian Approach to Cruise Ships - A leaked memo from Royal Caribbean breaks down the cruise line's ongoing push to send over 24,000 of stranded crew members home - DIV Shipbuilding to Build New Residence Cruise Ship - Carnival Corporation lays out redundancy plan - What it’s Like to be Stuck on a Disney Cruise Ship - Wall Street: How long Royal Caribbean can go without cruises? - Stuck at Sea: Cruise Employees Speak Out - Raising money, baking cakes and sounding horns: How the cruise industry is keeping spirits raised
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19 May, 2020: Royal Caribbean To Eliminate Buffets on Post-Coronavirus Cruises Royal Caribbean announced during a conference call that health and safety changes being planned for a post-coronavirus cruise industry include eliminating traditional buffet offerings. According to CruiseCritic.com, Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley revealed during a virtual call with the cruise line’s senior vice president Vicki Freed that buffets will have to be at least temporarily removed from ships to avoid any concerns about the spread of illnesses. “I think in the beginning, there will not be a buffet, that's how I see it,” Bayley said. “We will utilize the space, we will utilize the Windjammer, but in all probability, it won't be a classical buffet.” “It will be something more akin to a restaurant,” Bayley continued. The likely removal of buffets from dining areas is just the latest in a long line of health and safety changes being made to ensure the cruise line will be able to sail when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifts its no-sail order. Royal Caribbean is also working with the CDC on enhanced measures to protect the health, safety and security of guests, crew and the communities visited when operations resume. Last month, the cruise line filed a patent application for its own branded version of a face mask to protect passengers and employees. Dubbed Seaface, the plan is for the safety devices to be implemented on all of the company’s ships. Source: https://www.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/royal-caribbean-to-eliminate-buffets-on-post-coronavirus- cruises.html
19 May, 2020: Cruise line to come back in 'fits and starts' with new range of destinations The boss of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings says future booking show people are still keen on travelling to far-flung locations as the company announced its phased approach to bringing ships back into action. It has sailed straight on with the unveiling of voyages to more than 20 new destinations across all seven continents. The optimistic long-term planning caps off quite a turnaround for a group that less than a fortnight ago raised "substantial doubt" about its ability to continue as a "going concern”. And Frank Del Rio, chairman and CEO, warned that it could take years to get the industry back to pre-coronavirus levels but that it is “critical” to provide passengers – and potential passengers – with peace of mind over safety.... Continue Reading…. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/news/norwegian-cruise-line-plans- safe-return-over-six-months-new-rout/
19 May, 2020: 63 Days Stuck at Sea: Protest Erupts on Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas Today, crew members aboard the Majesty of the Seas protested Royal Caribbean’s latest failure to follow through with its repatriation of its crew members. Several hundred crew members congregated on the
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pool deck making signs protesting Royal Caribbean’s refusal to follow through with plans to send the crew members home. The repatriation plans have reportedly changed at the last minute on five occasions, including three times dating back to last month. The crew members chanted… Continue Reading https://www.lexblog.com/author/jimwalker/
19 May, 2020: Barbados Takes Humanitarian Approach to Cruise Ships As more and more ports turn their backs on incoming cruise ships, even those with a clean bill of health, the Caribbean island nation of Barbados is taking a decidedly different approach. The country has welcomed incoming cruise ships looking for a place to port while they wait for the go-ahead to resume normal cruising operations. Kerrie Symmonds, the minister of tourism and international transport, explained that the goal is to foster future goodwill and partnerships with cruise lines who bring a significant portion of the island’s economic security. As of Monday morning, there were seven ships at the port of Bridgetown and another three anchored along the island’s West Coast.
Barbados Welcoming Cruise Ships Thinking long term was why Barbados decided to allow cruise ships to call on the island when so many others were turning the ships away. Kerrie Symmonds explained that maintaining relationships was at the forefront of the decision making. “We have to see it as a benefit from the posture that we have taken. And, again, down the road it can only speak towards offering significant commercial opportunity to the country and employment benefits as well,” he said. “I don’t think that there have been any negatives for Barbados in terms of our relationships for partnering with the cruise lines as we did. The fact of the matter is that first of all, we honoured contracts that we had to honour internationally.” Barbados is taking special precaution with the cruise ships to help prevent the potential spread of the virus on the island. Crew members on board are not permitted shore leave while the ships are at the island. Continue Reading…. https://www.porthole.com/barbados-humanitarian-cruise-ships/?fbclid=IwAR0zK5pEdkmGrjjQL_Pr-jy09irpQh- GNdLRNABxMGMrVyk9et0xCNhS0aI
19 May, 2020: A leaked memo from Royal Caribbean breaks down the cruise line's ongoing push to send over 24,000 of stranded crew members home Crew Repatriation Weekly Update https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6889712/CrewRep050720-1.pdf
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https://www.businessinsider.com/royal-caribbeans-memo-reveals-plan-to-repatriate-24000-stranded- crew-2020-5
19 May, 2020: DIV Shipbuilding to Build New Residence Cruise Ship DIV Shipbuilding will build the new residence ship, the Njord, according to a press release. DIV owns Kleven Verft shipyard in Norway and Brodosplit shipyard in Croatia, as both yards will work on the 290-meter-long residence ship for Ocean Residences, with a delivery date estimated in 2024. Ocean Residences is offering 118 apartments aboard with various configurations, from two to six bedrooms. "My company is truly honored to be involved in the construction of this magnificent private yacht, initiated by Ocean Residences Development Ltd. All employees of DIV Shipbuilding at both our shipyards Brodosplit and Kleven are proud to partner of and work on this generational project,” said Tomislav Debeljak, Chairman and CEO, DIV Group. “In these changing times I am pleased to confirm that we have the full support of the governments of both Croatia and Norway who share our enthusiasm for this important project as it is expected to generate employment for thousands of highly skilled people in the years to come, from welders to engineers and many other disciplines in between.”
Kristian Stensby, chairman and CEO of Ocean Residences Development, added: “I am delighted to confirm the signing of an agreement between our company and the DIV Shipbuilding. The DIV Shipbuilding has been appointed as the official shipyard to carry out the construction of the Njord, an iconic residential yacht, comprising 118 exquisitely appointed residences which will create one of the most philanthropic communities in the world.” “Almost the entire industry and community surrounding both shipyards, rely on the maritime sector. The work on the design and construction of the Njord will benefit thousands of local families by creating more than five million working hours. In addition, it will strongly contribute to the further improvement of research and innovation of maritime activities in Croatia and Norway, as well as improving the scientific and technological potential in schools and colleges. Furthermore, Ocean Residences Development have established, as central to their vision, the desire to construct one of the most technically advanced vessels in the industry that will push the outer limits in terms of sustainability, technical innovation and emissions standards. A vision that is perfectly suited to the talent we have in both Norway and in Croatia.” added Zoran Kunkera, the DIV's chief business officer. Source: https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/22952-div-shipbuilding-to-build-new-residence- cruise-ship.html
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https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/21804-the-njord-promises-new-residence-cruise- ship-concept.html
19 May, 2020: Carnival Corporation lays out redundancy plan Carnival Corporation has laid out the company’s redundancy plan, which will include a combination of furloughs, salary reductions and reduced hours. The company has said these moves will contribute “hundreds of millions of dollars in cash conservation”. The parent of Carnival Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, Cunard, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Aida Cruises and Costa Cruises suspended its sailings in March. Last month, the company completed a successful financing effort with an offering of senior secured notes, senior convertible notes and common stock, netting $6.4 billion of additional liquidity. In a statement, Carnival Corporation said: “To further strengthen our liquidity position in the event of an extended pause in guest operations due to Covid-19, Carnival Corporation and our brands are instituting a combination of layoffs, furloughs, reduced work weeks and salary reductions across the company, including senior management. “The actions in some way affect every shoreside employee in Carnival Corporation and its brands and involve a wide range of professional and skilled employment functions. Job eliminations are permanent. “The furlough notice is six months, and we have the ability to potentially bring people back from furlough ahead of that time. “The majority of impact in the US will be in corporate and regional headquarters locations in Florida, California and Washington state. “We will report the number of impacted employees to authorities in those states as required by law, but at this time we are not discussing details of how many total people were affected globally. Continue Reading… https://www.cruisetradenews.com/carnival-corporation-redundancy-plan/
19 May, 2020: What it’s Like to be Stuck on a Disney Cruise Ship When Florida abruptly closed to cruise ships in March, the three Disney Ships that were on the East Coast were unable to get their crew home. One crew member shared his experience with The Royal Gazette. http://mobile.royalgazette.com/lifestyle/article/20200512/stuck-at-sea-with-disney- crew&template=mobileart?fbclid=IwAR3Q0YfRkecXWEZZICYvizAIYJdQNlxTlZFXx_X_XM0QHvdShlbI0giD3pg Wondering what it would be like to be stuck on a Disney Cruise Ship right now? Edward Dawson, a technician on the Disney Dream, shared his experience. He says there are movies being screened as well as craft activities for those who want to do them. He’s been keeping busy by crocheting and reading e- books. One thing he highlighted is that they know there is no coronavirus on his ship, so they have
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a feeling of safety during this uncertain time. The Disney Dream may well be one of the safest places to hunker down during quarantine! Continue Reading…. https://www.kennythepirate.com/2020/05/13/what-its-like-to-be-stuck-on-a-disney-cruise-ship/
19 May, 2020: Wall Street: How long Royal Caribbean can go without cruises? With there being no Royal Caribbean cruises sailing, it is no secret there is little to no revenue coming in and the company is losing money every month. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd stated that its average ongoing ship operating expenses and administrative expenses is approximately $250 million to $275 million per month during the suspension of operations. This range of monthly expenditures includes ongoing ship operating expenses, administrative expenses, and debt service expense, hedging costs, expected necessary capital expenditures (net of committed financings in the case of newbuilds) and excludes cash refunds of customer deposits as well as cash inflows from new and existing bookings. Continue Reading…. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/05/15/wall-street-how-long-royal-caribbean-can-go- without-cruises
19 May, 2020: Stuck at Sea: Cruise Employees Speak Out Over this past weekend, several crew members on Royal Caribbean-owned cruise ships expressed their frustration at being kept from an unreasonably long time onboard their ships. The cruise ships which they are on have not sailed for over six weeks, yet Royal Caribbean has not sent them home. There is considerable danger associated with staying on a ship where crew members have been tested positive for COVID-19.
Yesterday, I wrote about a Royal Caribbean crew member, a long term employee who worked the night shift in the incinerator room on the Oasis of the Seas, who died due to COVID-19. He is the third crew member to die on the Oasis in the last three weeks and the fourth Royal Caribbean crew member from a cruise ship right off the coast of Florida to die during this pandemic. None of these crew members, from Indonesia and the Philippines should have remained on the ships for so long. They ranked in ages from just 27 to 43 years old. Continue Reading… https://www.lexblog.com/2020/05/04/stuck-at-sea-cruise-employees-speak-out/
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19 May, 2020: Raising money, baking cakes and sounding horns: How the cruise industry is keeping spirits raised It's a strange time for the cruise industry, with all ships currently out of operation and cruise agents concentrating on rebooking or refunding passengers who should be enjoying their floating holidays now and in the near future. In the midst of the crisis, stories of hope have emerged, showing how the cruise industry is supporting the NHS, helping the most vulnerable and keeping spirits raised in in lockdown.
Free river cruises for NHS and key workers AmaWaterways is offering free river cruises to frontline medics, key workers and employees of essential services. Eligible applicants will be given a future cruise certificate to be used with one paying guest in the same cabin for any Europe or Asia sailing until December 31, 2021.
Donations and health worker discounts Greek cruise company Celestyal Cruises has donated 5.5 tons of non-perishable food, first aid kit and hygiene products to an estimated 7,500 residents in need, in the Metropolitan area of Piraeus, where the port of Athens is located. Piraeus Nursing Home is among the beneficiaries. The cruise line has also provided 12,000 surgical masks and 1,100 litres of liquid disinfectant for health centres dedicated to Covid-19 patients. In addition, it is giving away 50 three-day cruises for two people, to first responders, as well as offering a special discount policy for all frontline health workers. Chris Theophilides, chief executive, said: “Going through one of the most difficult times in modern history, our goal is to both support and offer relief to the socially vulnerable groups from the effects of the pandemic, as well as to demonstrate our gratitude to those who are at the front lines of this fight. In these extremely difficult and unpredictable times worldwide, it is values such as humanity and solidarity that matter most."
Raising money ROL Cruise is aiming to raise £100,000 to show their appreciation to the NHS staff working tirelessly to save lives. For every booking made with the cruise agent, the company will donate £25 to the NHS Charities National campaign that supports the health and emotional wellbeing of those at the frontline of the NHS, including NHS Staff, volunteers and patients. The money raised will help fund wellbeing packs, accommodation, travel, parking and volunteer expenses and also help support the longer term mental and rehabilitation of NHS staff, volunteers, patients and carers after the pandemic is over. ROL Cruise hopes to reach its target by the end of June.
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Beds for nurses CroisiEurope’s 149-passenger river cruise ship Botticelli, usually operating on the Seine, is being used as temporary accommodation for nurses treating patients with coronavirus. The Pompidou Hospital in Paris has brought in nurses from other parts of France to supplement its workforce, and a group of these are being offered complimentary accommodation, breakfast and dinner on board, to save time on their commute. Due to strict health and safety rules, the ship can accommodate up to 25 nurses at any one time, and the crew have been trained to follow a tight protocol in terms of cleaning and wearing masks.
Baking cakes The crew of Saga’s Spirit of Discovery, docked at the London International Cruise Terminal at Tilbury, awaiting the resumption of operations, have been baking bread and cakes for local NHS teams. Spare medical and sanitary supplies from the ship were also donated to Cedar House – a mental health facility based in Kent. Captain Kim Tanner, Master of the Spirit of Discovery, led the charge to donate excess food, including thousands of eggs, to a local homeless charity in Essex.
Lights and horns Cruise lines have been sharing messages of hope during their shutdown, using lights on board their ships. Princess Cruises' Sky Princess carried the message # We will be back; sister ship Majestic Princess went with #Princess Proud and P&O Cruises' Britannia and Saga Cruises’ Spirit of Discovery both had messages of solidarity for the NHS. Ships have also been joining in with the nationwide clap for the NHS and key workers taking place every Thursday night at 8pm. Fred Olsen Cruise Line’s four ships, all docked in the Firth of Forth, have been sounding their horns in unison and all the cruise ships in Southampton, including Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 and P&O’s Britannia, have been joining in the chorus of horns, which can be heard up to six miles away.
Helping crew home The Dunkirk spirit was invoked by the coronavirus crisis, when a small 25-cabin cruise yacht helped 19 Cuban crew from a mega cruise ship return to their homeland. Variety Cruises’ vessel Panorama made a special 14-day diversion in the Caribbean to repatriate the group. Panorama’s captain Vasilis Mazarkis came across the plight of the Cubans when his ship called into Barbados to refuel ahead of a transatlantic crossing. Panorama was empty other than her crew. She berthed near MSC Preziosa, which carries up to 4,360 passengers and 1,300 crew. Nineteen healthy staff were keen to return home but given the
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constraints of Covid-19, had no realistic option for doing so. Mazarkis agreed to repatriate them to Havana, a journey which took the cruise yacht seven days. The Cuban government covered the cost of the fuel but Variety Cruises made no other charge for their brotherly act.
Donating food As they wound down their operations, cruise lines donated their surplus supplies to food banks. Fred Olsen Cruise Lines ended up with extra food parcels after putting together care packages for passengers who flew back from a disrupted Caribbean cruise on board Braemar, which they donated to the Families in Need food bank near its offices in Suffolk. The cruise line also worked with its port agent in Barbados to support local charities with a donation of fresh produce from a container of food supplies intended for its ship Braemar, comprising 18 pallets (17,598kg) of chilled fruit and vegetables. Senator Lisa Cummins, chairman of the Barbados Port, said: “We very much appreciate this donation and engaged with local partners like the YWCA, who have local feeding programs. We have been able to provide food supplies for 130 families and boosted The Red Cross ‘Meals on Wheels Program’, giving valuable support to our most vulnerable families. During this crisis, we have had no end of traumatic stories. But we have also had wonderful stories of people helping others in difficult times. This is one of those wonderful stories.”
Windstar Cruises donated seven pallets of fresh produce and dairy, worth $8,000, to Feeding South Florida in Pembroke Park, near Miami, part of Feeding America, the US’s largest hunger relief organisation. The pallets were bound for Windstar’s 342-guest motor sailing yacht Wind Surf in the Caribbean. Windstar also donated a pallet of milk and butter to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. The donation, worth $1,500 came from the 148-guest Wind Spirit. “We’re finding a silver lining in this abrupt cancellation of operations,” said Chris Prelog, Windstar’s chief operating officer. “We don’t want this good food to go to waste.”
Meanwhile, P&O Cruises handed over more than eight tonnes of fruit, vegetables and fresh produce from Ventura to UK Harvest, which distributes surplus food from businesses to charities, homeless centres, refuges and youth centres. The food was sent to good causes across Bognor Regis, Portsmouth, Worthing and Brighton, plus food banks in Eastbourne, Hastings, Crawley, Croydon and Southampton.
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Hospital ships Carnival Corporation offered select ships from its brands including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises to be used as hospital ships. As the continued spread of COVID-19 continued to exert pressure on land-based healthcare facilities, including a possible shortage of hospital beds, the world’s largest cruise company called on governments and health authorities to consider using cruise ships as temporary healthcare facilities to treat non-COVID-19 patients. Carnival Corp’s ships each have the capacity to provide up to 1,000 hospital rooms and seven intensive care units in their medical centers. Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/cruise-industry-acts-of-kindness/
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