Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

7 3 CLIA has worked with various partners to help cruise lines safely repatriate crew members to their home countries they can to bring crew home. Where commercial flights have not been an option due to travel restrictions, cruise lines have chartered flights and organised sailings using company ships, with many travelling thousands of miles. More than 90 per cent of crew members have been brought home since May. The entire maritime sector has been working to support seafarers, which included CLIA co-sponsoring an International Maritime Organization circular letter that urges member states to take urgent action on crew changes and for keyworker designation so that sea and air workers can be relieved and repatriated in a safe way during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is an ongoing and critical issue, and we’ll continue to work to ensure seafarers receive the support they need. How has CLIA been working with partners to help its cruise line members to prepare for their ships returning to sea? CLIA provides the platform for education, collaboration, advocacy and promotion in support of the wider cruise community. Currently, we’re engaging with renowned medical and science experts and have collaborated with health authorities at all levels of government to consider new protocols to enhance public health for passengers, crew and the communities we visit. In addition, we’re connecting the cruise community with one another through regular online convenings that allow cruise lines, suppliers, outside experts and government entities to exchange information. Some have questioned the cruise industry’s ability to provide a safe and enjoyable vacation in the future. What would you say to these detractors and how would you reassure travellers who may be apprehensive about taking a cruise in future? The cruise industry has a 50-year track record of being a leader in protecting the health of passengers, crew and the destinations we visit. In fact, many of the protocols you see being implemented by other industries have been in place for years across the cruise lines. As CLIA cruise line members sail again, health and safety will continue to be at the forefront and that’s why our members are working together to consider new and enhanced health protocols, technologies and sanitation solutions informed by some of the world’s leading experts in coordination with public health officials, governments and ports. The approach is wide- “More than 90 per cent of crew members have been brought home since May”