Who, why, where and how? The reality of those still stranded at sea 6 months after the cruise ship ban.
First of all, it's hard even for myself to grasp how time has gone by so incredibly quickly this dreaded 2020, effectively, it has now been six months since the first cruise ships halted operations in the Asia region. But more astounding even is the fact that some seamen and women still remain onboard, under various circumstances that I would like to discuss today since it wouldn't seem fair to me to tell my own story as that was the end of it when some of my amazing Royal Caribbean Family members are still struggling with the effects of the pandemic at sea.
Recently I have been speaking to some of my fellow crew members that still find themselves at sea, most waiting to get back home, here are the different situations they are living and the reasons they have not made it home yet. I will be sharing some data shared with the Royal Caribbean crew mid-August 2020. This information is part of a bi-weekly update we are currently receiving on the state of the fleet and crew movements. As of this month:
29,596 Crew members repatriated (2,600 via commercial flights + 100 charters)
132 Team members on both Labadee and CocoCay private islands.
15 Royal Caribbean ships on minimum manning around the world.
4,204 Crew members currently on board.
The crew is basically split into 3 groups as I mentioned before:
Group 1 = Minimum manning crew required to keep the fleet operational
Group 2 = Crew members unable to be repatriated
Group 3 = Crew members unwilling to be repatriated
Let's touch base on each group's conditions at the moment, why they are where they are and what is ahead for them. I'll go ahead and start the other way around:
Group 3
Those who chose to stay, whichever the reason (they feel safer onboard than in their countries, they inquire in fewer costs being onboard than on land, they stayed with friends or significant others, etc) are currently accommodated on the Serenade of The Seas sailing around the Caribbean Sea off the shores of Barbados and Bahamas. They are being handed $400 a month by Royal Caribbean, the topic of returning to each country is not even discussed currently. Strict preventative measures are still in place like the use of masks. But on the bright side, many forms of entertainment and socially distant activities are being organized. It must be noted that other companies are not quite implementing as strict measures as Royal Caribbean on their remaining crew on board, although slim, the potential risk of getting the virus onboard from a traveling person or loaded goods still needs to be acknowledged. They will most surely be the ones testing out the new protocols to be put in place for the return to service, more on that on upcoming blogs.
I have received word of fellow Argentinians being offered a visa
to remain in Barbados if the moment comes to disembark and they
do not desire to return to the country until they get called to be back onboard.
Group 2
There are crew members awaiting their repatriation on several ships.
On the Majesty of The Seas, which sailed to Southhampton for connecting flights to the rest of Europe and Asia there is a big number of Chinese and Mauritian citizens in the wait for flights that apparently are taking place this very week. A commercial flight bound to China and a 150-people charter shared with Celebrity Cruises bound to Mauritius. The rest of the Mauritian crew will be repatriated based on a “longest on, first off” logic on further charters being planned for September, they must travel to London to board these flights and pass a COVID test for their country to allow them to travel.
Let's jump straight to the situation of those on Group 1 to understand how
some of them are now technically part of group 2 and awaiting repatriation.
Group 1
Those that didn't quite have a choice but to remain and maintain their key positions onboard are slowly finally being relieved as the regular rotation would demand.
Allow me to stress on the point that these seamen and women have now worked,
in some cases, around 6 months on their very demanding roles that are usually
limited to 10 weeks periods of labor, due to this intensity I mention.
This process has been especially challenging due to the travel restrictions and in this case, a small number of relievers from basically any nationality does not quite fit in within the possibility of a chartered flight, the only option is the availability of commercial flights and the willingness of governments to grant passage to this travelers to reach their ships, and eventually to embark. The limited possibilities these conditions offer then require the emission of visas and other travel documents that can be an absolute headache to acquire when most embassies are on minimal operation or simply closed. In addition, before any of this is set in motion, a negative Covid-19 test must be presented before travel arrangements are to be approved.
Luckily some relievers make it onboard the ships they need to be, but that does not mean the end of the process quite yet. Even after presenting a negative virus test, as they have been exposed while traveling, all sign-ons must complete a 15 day isolation period once onboard. Adding days to the wait of those about to go home. Furthermore, having new people join a ship, especially those who have been traveling, makes said ship go back into "Yellow Zone" meaning there is a present (even if minute) risk of the virus being onboard, in which condition nobody is permitted to disembark.
Ships are labeled RED, YELLOW, or GREEN according to their infection status. Whether they present active cases on board, the suspicion or possibility of, or none, accordingly.
In some cases, due to schedules of flights and docking, crew members have to board a different ship than their final destination, having to isolate there, "downgrading" that ship from the "Green Zone" to later transfer to where they are needed only to change that ship's status as well, delaying, even more, the travel dates of the replaced officers. In addition to this flights must be arranged not only to the moment a ship goes into "Green Zone" but docking and location schedules as well, plus this time there are no big groups of nationalities making governments move for chartered flights and permissions of entry, this time we are looking at individuals requiring commercial flights amidst a pandemic, sometimes from small Caribbean islands to the many corners of the world hoping their country will receive them.
Let's imagine your reliever has arrived last week, you have one week to go until you can handle your office and leave, but another transfer occurs bringing new people onboard extending this Yellow label period once more for another 15 days, and so on.
According to the Royal Caribbean newsletter:
1,835 Crew members required backfills since the minimum manning operation began
681 have been relieved
151 relievers are currently in quarantine already on board
540 relievers have confirmed sign-on dates
462 Remaining crew in need of a confirmed replacement
These relieved officers and staff are now out of their payroll, with no further responsibilities, stuck on board idly waiting to go back to their families. On ships where entertainment is not quite a strong point considering everyone left is there to work, except them. Basically going through what 99% of us went through this past March.
While it's true that most cruise ship employees do spend on average 6 months on board we can't oversee the fact that conditions are currently very far from normal. As I explained in previous blogs the pressure on the skeletal manning crew left is far greater than regular and the general living conditions are much more austere without the social interaction and the enforcement of strict prevention rules. At the same time we encourage our hardworking friends at sea reminding them that right now, and especially in the travel industry, having a job is a privilege, that right now most would jump to despite the conditions, more on that on my return to sailing blog!
I hope by sharing their story I can bring attention, understanding and appreciation for those still at sea to whom I wish the best, probably none of us are in our ideal situation right now regardless of being home or out there.
If you wanna know more about how Royal Caribbean has aproached the matter of mental health during this difficult times and my advice on staying positive and motivated please go check my post on the topic.
As always I thank you, truly, for reading me and for having a moment for the amazing cruise ship crew family 👫
Stay curious!
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