Page 33: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 2021)

CRUISE SHIPPING

Saga Cruises, a UK-based niche brand aimed at the 50+ age the ? ag state, Italy. Protocols will be updated based on evolving bracket, has come onboard, with SHIELD, pointing out that: scienti? c and medical knowledge related to mitigation strate- “Ultimately LR’s continued assurance enables us to demon- gies. Costa is the ? rst cruise company to earn the Biosafety strate an enhanced level of health safety to our passengers, Trust Certi? cation from Registro Italiano Navale (RINA). The crew and other stakeholders.” The marketplace seems to certi? cation process examined all aspects of life onboard and agree; after a late January announcement requiring that its ashore and assessed the compliance of the system with proce- customers be fully vaccinated, its bookings (with a start date dures aimed at the prevention and control of infections.” pushed back into May) have reportedly surged. Other cruise RINA explains that: “The Biosafety Trust Certi? cation is lines were said to be looking into a vaccine requirement. based on the International Standard Organization’s systematic

Among the Carnival brands, a January, 2021 ? ling indicated approach to management systems combined with scienti? c that: “Costa and AIDA have a comprehensive set of health and best practices against the spread of infection” Costa and AIDA hygiene protocols that has helped facilitate a safe and healthy were both poised for restarting cruises in March, 2021. MSC return to cruise vacations… modeled after shoreside health and Cruises, privately listed, was resuming Mediterranean sailings mitigation guidelines as provided by each brand’s respective out of Italy for its MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magni? co. country, and approved by all relevant regulatory authorities of

Investing in Upgrades

Across the ? eets, capital investments have been made, in- cluding redesigned and upgraded medical facilities, with speci? c isolation areas onboard. Recon? gured ventilation systems are bringing in air from the outside, where possible; where inside areas use recirculated air, ? lters have been up- graded to capture smaller particles. Ultraviolet irradiation and electrostatic spraying have been added to the disinfecting mix. Joep Bollerman from Class LR told Maritime Report- er: “Crew Training and familiarization is an important step once protocols are ? nalized and added or modi? ed equipment maintenance needs to be included in existing planned mainte- nance solutions to ensure equipment reliability.”

Digital technology is playing a role as well; electronic check-ins were already on offer, pre- pandemic. Now, there are new possibilities, Carnival’s ground-breaking Ocean Me- dallion (used on the Princess brand), designed for enhanced passenger experiences, can also provide a tool for contract tracing and tracking.

In late 2020, Royal Caribbean introduced its Tracelet, a wristband that was debuted on Quantum of the Seas. Besides tracing, its capabilities enable better management of onboard social distancing. Smart-phone applications, some already introduced pre-pandemic, will take on greater importance as the cruise brands seek to reduce paper ? ows (and the need to physically sign documents) and to reduce touching of surfaces (for example a light-switch in a cabin).

The cruise ports are also making changes, expanding con- tactless interfaces, stepping up cleaning protocols, and build- ing social distancing into their procedures. At Port Everglades, in Florida, digitalization has brought a degree of seamlessness to the transition from terminal to vessel, with the port saying: “We continued building a new state-of-the-art parking garage through the pandemic so it would be ready when cruising re- sumes. The Heron Garage will service Terminals 2 and 4 in the northern section of the Port. Terminal 2 is Princess Cruis- es’ Ocean Medallion prototype.” www.marinelink.com 33

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