Crew Center received an email from a crew member aboard the cruise ship Norwegian Jade who wishes to remain anonymous, claiming that some crew currently on the vessel are Blacklisted by the United Arab Emirates for overstay. The crew member said that the people who are blacklisted by the UAE Immigration because their visa was not canceled during the ship’s last stay in the country, are not allowed to leave the ship and they might face fines up to $15.000.
In March 2020, Norwegian Jade was in lay-down in Dubai, after the ship canceled cruises due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. The ship was in Dubai for two months before leaving back to Europe. During the stay in Dubai crewmembers were issued visa by the UAE which was valid for 6 months, the crew member said. However, the issue happen when the ship departed Dubai, and the UAE visa of some crew was not canceled. Therefore they were not added to the immigration system exiting the UAE and blacklisted for overstay, even if they weren't in that country.
“This kind of violation is very severe in United Arab Emirates and so we are really scared. Now we are again in Dubai, and we are without visas, because we are on the Blacklist, and the crew members who are on this list cannot disembark and go home, because as soon as they touch the ground they will be arrested, and plus there is a fine to pay for each one of them,” said the crew member.
“This is a big drama here, people who are blacklisted are scared, they don’t know what to do, and seems like Norwegian Cruise Line is not able to fix the problem. We are in contact also individually with our embassy or consulate in order to fix this problem but is very tough. Another big problem is that part of the crew members who were on the Norwegian Jade in Dubai last year, and are at home, they don’t know they have this issue so, if one day they will decide to go for example in Dubai for vacation, they will face serious problems,” the crew member added.
Crew Center contacted several crew members currently on the Norwegian Jade who confirmed that some crew are Blacklisted by the UAE authorities for visa violation. The exact number of crew is not clear as some crew said there are around 15, mostly from the Housekeeping Department, while another crew member said there are around 300 crew on the list.
Norwegian Cruise Line cancelled South Africa sailings on the Norwegian Jade through January 26, 2022 due to the evolving public health environment in the region. Norwegian Jade is currently docked in Dubai and is expected to arrive in Abu Dhabi on December 16, 2021.
Some crew members, who suppose to go by Jan. 14, 2021, will leave the ship for an early vacation, and return when Norwegian Jade resumes operations, to reposition the ship back to Greece, said one crew member.
The crew who are currently on the Norwegian Jade said they are treated well by the company and that the salaries will stay the same. Free internet still applies for the crew and the Pool deck is open with Dj during the night. Crew members who are not on the blacklist were allowed shore leave in Dubai but this privilege was canceled after some crew members kept breaking curfew, said one crew member.
