The road to a resumption of cruising worldwide is not as easy as it may sound. To that effect, Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator, has now contracted Bureau Veritas to support the ships that will be sailing in the upcoming months and those that are sailing already with various health and safety measures.
The company will be supporting Carnival Corporation with health and safety services to facilitate the return to cruising, protecting passengers and crew.
Return To Cruising Will Be a Massive Operation
The return of cruising this year will be a massive operation requiring an extremely detailed approach. Bureau Veritas is, therefore, the logical choice to assist the cruise giant in returning its 87 vessels to service.
The company has long been involved in the marine industry, providing classification services to all kinds of marine operations. The support provided to Carnival will be based on the extensive experience built up in 2020 to address health protection and hygiene requirements onboard passenger ships.
The approach offered meets the specific requirements of the cruise market and addresses biological risks, as posed by COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
Several steps need to be taken before ships can take on passengers. While Carnival Corporation’s Costa Cruises has been working with Italian classification bureau RINA, Bureau Veritas has already worked with the three Carnival brands that will start operating in the UK this summer: Princess, Cunard, and P&O UK Cruises.
By verifying Carnival Corporation’s protocols and procedures, Bureau Veritas will identify risk associated with COVID-19 in port, at embarkation and disembarkation points, and onboard the vessels.
Planning for outbreak management will address the precautions necessary to keep crew and passengers healthy while managing their wellbeing with a clear definition of responsibilities and roles.
Also Read: Which Cruise Lines Have a COVID Vaccine Requirement?
Bureau Veritas will, in essence, give an independent step-by-step verification of COVID-19 protocols on board the ships and whether or not they are effective.
Carnival Corporation & plc Chief Maritime Officer, Bill Burke:
“We are very appreciative of the support and collaboration given to us across our global brands by BV and the verification we will receive to underpin our framework of protocols for our resumption of sailing.”
Why Is It Necessary?
One would rightly assume that the cruise lines would already have procedures and policies in place in case of an outbreak. And this is true; all cruise ships that sail the world’s oceans, from the smallest to the biggest, must have these policies in place already.
However, these policies have been focused on controlling outbreaks of Norovirus. COVID-19 calls for much more detailed and intensive planning as outlined by the various governments worldwide.
Of course, the cruise lines will also want to ensure they have all their bases covered. Not one cruise line will want to deal with an outbreak onboard the ships. Something that Matthieu de Tugny, President Marine & Offshore at Bureau Veritas, reiterates:
“We provide procedures and measures to protect passengers, company personnel and other stakeholders as operations are resumed, helping ensure that appropriate health and safety standards are put in place. We have been working across many industries as a group addressing these new safety and hygiene challenges and have combined this now extensive experience with our passenger ship and marine expertise to support Carnival.”
By letting a renowned company like Bureau Veritas review their procedures, Carnival Corporation is making a further step in ensuring the public can be confident in taking a cruise.
At the same time, local governments and government organizations will be clear on how the ships address the threat of COVID-19 in the new normal.
