Crew Center received a message from a crew member working for the Indian startup cruise line Cordelia Cruises, stating that the crew aboard the cruise ship Empress are not allowed shore leave since the last year when the company started voyages. Cordelia Cruises welcomed its first guests on board the 1,607-passenger ship Empress, back in September 2021, and since then the crew are not allowed shore leave, the crew member said.

“It's been 2 months I am onboard the ship. The management of the ship is not allowing us to go outside for shore leave. I am an Indian national but still am not allowed to go outside the ship in my own county,” the crew member who wishes to remain anonymous said.

The majority of the crew working on the Empress (the former Royal Caribbean ship Empress of the Seas) are Indian nationals, and a small number come from Ukraine, Romania, and the Philippines. The ship is sailing a variety of  2 to 5-day coastal voyages in India, departing from Chennai. 

And even the majority of the crew are from India they are not allowed to go out to Indian ports. The crew member said that an official explanation was not announced by the company, as to why the shore leave is not allowed, however, the shipboard management said that there are problems with the immigration authorities. The crew member said that there are no reported Covid cases among the crew in the past months.

“They enforced this restriction since the beginning of the voyages last year. Crew are not being allowed to go outside and to buy essentials. It feels very bad and the moral is at its lowest level. The only way to step a foot on land is to resign, and many crew are doing this. Some are leaving after one week aboard and applying for an international cruise such as Princess Cruises,” added the crew member.