INTERV IEW Operational unknowns can happen out of the blue at any time of the day or night onboard a cruise ship. Consequently, the fundamental task of a fleet manager is to ensure that they have a complete, holistic view of a cruise line’s entire operation on a day-to-day basis. It is also imperative for them to implement a strategic plan to operate efficiently – both from a manpower and cost management perspective – to make certain they have the capacity to effectively deal with any eventuality whenever it arises. In 2020, fleet managers were challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic, which gave rise to a unique set of circumstances. “As the pandemic brought the cruise industry to a halt in early 2020, it was critical for MSC Cruises to return its guests home safely from the ships around the world before we could move on to the crew repatriation phase,” says Emilio La Scala, president and managing director of MSC Cruise Management (UK). “Thereafter, the question was where can we lay up the entire fleet and how can we ensure the right crew levels to cover all aspects of safety? Thankfully, our parent company MSC Group helped us to secure berths, primarily in Italian ports alongside cargo piers. We also had great support from the Italian maritime authority, Guardia Costiera.” All 19 ships in the fleet are now back at sea with guests onboard, a feat that La Scala credits to the “incredible commitment and determination of so many different parts of the industry, all of which are hugely important stakeholders in our day-to-day role”. Being back at sea highlighted to La Scala that the fundamentals of fleet management have not changed. “We still look at weather patterns three to four days in advance for every ship in the fleet, weigh up and rate any potential disruption, plan for alternate port calls, and work in partnership with regulatory bodies, stevedoring companies, and more,” he explains. The pandemic has introduced additional tasks, however. When MSC Cruises’ MSC Grandiosa became the first vessel from any major cruise line to return to international waters in August 2020, La Scala had to ensure that MSC Cruises had a robust Covid-19 testing system in place for guests and crew. Once vaccines became available in 2021, the company turned its attention to vaccinating the crew, which was a “huge but necessary precautionary undertaking for everyone’s well-being”, according to La Scala. Planning post-pandemic itineraries has also involved a lot of extra work. “New itineraries and ports of call mean that we’ve undertaken a range of preparatory work to make sure that everyone’s efforts are aligned so we can provide a great, memorable and safe holiday at sea for all of our guests,” says La Scala. 1 3 2 Managing the unexpected Devising strategies to ensure successful day-to-day management of MSC Cruises’ fleet allows Emilio La Scala to turn on a sixpence when it comes to dealing with unexpected events. Susan Parker finds out how MSC Cruises has implemented a robust fleet management strategy to ensure that it can quickly react to any emergencies or unforeseen situations as they arise to keep operations on track Images: Daniele Di Maria
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