MSC Cruises announced today that the company has received ‘certificate of compliance’ from the Japanese maritime classification society ClassNK for its health and safety protocol which is the first step towards the restart of cruises in Japan. In a press release, MSC Cruises CEO Gianni Onorato said they are anticipating to resume cruises from Japan in  April 2021.

Several Italian news outlets including the newspaper Giornale di Sicilia reported an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases detected in Sicily.  

It is hard to believe that after 7 months since the global shutdown of the cruise industry there are still crew members waiting to be sent back home. While majority of the crew were repatriated long time ago, about 103 of our fellow crew members from Mauritus are still stranded on 3 MSC cruise ships in Brazil. They have patiently waited for a positive news from their Government, MSC cruises and their recruiting Agency Oceangoers to return home and be with their loved ones.

While we are all aware of the challenges and fears that the COVID-19 pandemic has bestowed upon all of us in the same sense it also shows us what truly is important.

MSC Cruises announced that the company received approval by Italian authorities to restart with limited voyages in the Mediterranean this August aboard MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica.

The Mauritius national public broadcaster MBC, reports that 230 Mauritian crew members, called to resume service on cruise ships at the port of Genova in Italy, left Mauritius on a charter flight on Wednesday, July 29.

After setting up an inter-functional task force composed of in-house experts in the sectors of medical services, public health and sanitation, hotel services, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), on-board engineering systems and technology IT and logistics, MSC Cruises also made use of the support of a group of experts from Aspen Medical to further implement its health and safety protocol.

After crossing the Atlantic Ocean with 1450 crew members on board, the cruise ship MSC Divina finally arrived at the port of Civitavecchia, Italy on June 4. Crew Center received the following appreciation letter from a crew member expressing his respect and gratitude towards all on board, making this journey a great experience.

With each day passing by the mental health of the crew still stranded on the cruise ships is deteriorating. One crew member stranded on the cruise ship has sent Crew Center the following letter saying “We don't live, we survive” and asks the government to return home. “I stay in my cabin every day I cry while praying and the walls come to me. A wall as long as it is high, it represents the height of patience that we have to wait.” sid the crew member.

Several crew members have contacted Crew Center saying that two of their fellow crew members tested positive for COVID-19 on the cruise ship MSC Preziosa. A crew member has send us two recordings of the announcement made on the PA system, the first on April 30 announcing that one crew member tested positive for COVID-19, and the second announcement made today saying that the test results are completed and one more crew member also tested positive for the virus.