Dear Crew Worldwide,
How are you today? We really hope you are managing as well as it is possible in these uncharted waters. We know it’s scary to find ourselves in this new reality with suspended jobs, no certainty and plenty of challenges to come. So, let’s take a few moments and explore the state of our inner world, our inner selves.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the world's largest cruise industry trade association including members such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line, today issued the latest update saying that its members have expanded restrictions on Coronavirus preventive measures. The statement says that CLIA members will deny boarding on their vessels of anyone who has traveled in the affected regions in northern Italy.
Norwegian Seafarers' Union (NSU) has negotiated pay increases for all crew working onboard Norwegian Cruise Line ships for 2020. NSU, representing seafarers around the world reports that this is a successful outcome to their bargaining agreement with NCL.
“Salary increases usually happen annually following negotiations with the companies we have agreements with.” Says the Union
Vaccination on a massive scale is currently underway at the Marseilles shipyard (Chantier naval de Marseille) after 16 cases of pneumococcal infection were reported on people working on the refurbishment of the cruise ship Norwegian Spirit. The ship owned by Norwegian Cruise Line is currently in Dry dock number 10 at the port of Marseille, the largest in the Mediterranean and the third biggest in the world.
In just three weeks, an outbreak of coronavirus has spread from the central Chinese city of Wuhan throughout Asia and as far as the United States, to become a global threat. As of January 23, the National Health Commission announced the number of infected patients by the virus has gone to 830, while the death toll has risen to 26 people.
Ten people from the cruise ship Norwegian Joy were treated by paramedics on Sunday morning at the Port of Los Angeles after they fell ill onboard just one week after a similar outbreak was reported on the same ship.
A passenger on the cruise ship Norwegian Sun went overboard this week as the vessel was sailing off the coast of Freeport in the Bahamas. Thanks to the quick response from the crew the woman was located and saved on time. According to a passenger onboard the woman jumped off the ship from her stateroom balcony with a lifejacket on. The crew deployed life preservers within seconds and located the woman using the rescue boat within 20 minutes.
It’s not a cloudless world for people going to work at sea. Ship life is definitely not as easy as it seems to be. I would like to talk about my experience as a woman after I signed a contract with a reputable British cruise line. I was employed as a “Demi Chef de Partie” in the pastry section, to be a part of the galley team. Until I came onboard a cruise ship, this world was totally unknown to me. Galley. As we call the kitchen in a ship.
A crew member from the cruise ship Norwegian Jade was medevacked on November 9, while the vessel was 22 nautical miles off the coast of Pylos, Greece. The Hellenic Coast Guard watchstanders at the port of Pyols received a request from the captain of the ship for emergency medical evacuation of a 31-year-old Indian crewmember. Watchstanders consulted the Coast Guard's Unified Coordination Center for Search and Rescue and deployed a rescue boat with medical personnel.
Due to the increased number of crew members who joined cruise lines with the intent of jumping ship and stay in the USA illegally, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) imposed new restrictions. The new temporary restrictions regarding shore leave in the ports in New York (Brooklyn and Manhattan) and New Jersey (Cape Liberty) states that only crew members with completed five contracts can go ashore. This is industry-wide and affects all cruise ships entering these ports.
