Coronavirus: complicated containment at sea for cruise ship crews

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Two months ago, as the world began to take containment measures to stem the spread of the Covid-19, American shipping lines were ordered to stop sailing. After long negotiations with port authorities, the liners had successfully disembarked and repatriated their passengers before leaving. Bringing the trapped crew members with them to sea.

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A total of 104 cruise ships are currently in American waters. On board almost 72,000 crew members. This was confirmed this week by the American coast guard. 

But these personnel are not all housed in the same boat: those who are in charge of maintaining the liners, such as the sailors, the cooks or even the maintenance staff, continue to receive a salary. This is not the case for the employees who were to entertain the passengers. Financial difficulties are therefore added to psychological distress.

A complex repatriation 

Shipping companies are accused of making no effort to repatriate their staff due to the expensive cost of charter flights. The Royal Caribbean company finally signed a landing agreement drawn up by the centers for disease control and prevention. But repatriating its approximately 25,000 crew members who come from more than 60 countries is more than complex in the current context of a pandemic. 

"  Each country has its own separate standards and regulations on who is allowed to return home, how and when,  " said Michael Bayley, president of Royal Caribbean.

The company says it has already repatriated thousands of crew members even though "  port closings and travel restrictions  " have made these operations more complicated in recent weeks.

Companies Charged With Negligence 

A total of 2,789 cases of coronavirus were recorded among the passengers and crews of 33 ships affiliated with the main world federation in the sector, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

For their part, employees of Celebrity Cruises have filed a collective complaint accusing the American company of negligence. The family of a 27-year-old Indonesian employee, who died in a Florida hospital, also attacked Royal Caribbean for homicide. 

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• Coronavirus
• Health and Medicine
• United States

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