A crew member from the Philippines has sadly died on the Scarlet Lady cruise ship, which is operated by Virgin Voyages.
Scarlet Lady Crew Member Dies
Several crew members have informed the Cruise Law News blog that a crew member has died on the Scarlet Lady cruise ship, which is operated by Virgin Voyages. Apparently the Filipino crew member may have taken his own life and this happened on Friday before the vessel arrived into Port of Miami, Florida.
No further details are known at this time and our thoughts go out to the crew member’s family during this very difficult time. Crew members are finding it hard remaining at sea during this global pandemic.
It’s now becoming a major concern after several crew members have intentionally died due to the current situation the cruise industry is in. Even though cruise lines are repatriating thousands of workers, there are still many crew members that remain on board. All ships will need essential crew onboard to keep them maintained and some ships have had issues getting their crews back to their respective home countries.
With different countries having different restrictions it has become a logistical nightmare for cruise lines to arrange travel back home for the crew. It also depends on travel restrictions and flights available around the world. The cruise lines have even been spending millions on arranging their own charter flights for repatriation.
Some crew members have not been on land for months and many ships have implemented strict protocols onboard with limited time on the open deck and crew members must remain in their cabin. Some crew members have been lucky enough to enjoy a balcony stateroom.
Cruise Hive recently reported on a Chinese crew member who passed away on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas. Just a day before that sad news, a crew member went overboard the Regal Princess cruise ship while it was docked in Rotterdam during a repatriation effort. A crew member who worked as an Assistant Shore Excursions Manager also died on the Carnival Breeze vessel and before that a crew member went overboard Jewel of the Seas in the Mediterranean.
There were also reports of a crew member who apparently jumped from a Cruise and Maritime Voyages vessel while it was docked in Tilbury, UK. All these tragedies have occurred over the last few weeks during the cruise industry pause on operations.
Also Read: Virgin Voyages Won’t Begin Sailings Until October
It’s a very worrying time for sure and we do hope all the crew members can get back home safely to be with their families. We know cruise lines are offering some help by providing a free number which crew members can use to talk to someone but sadly it is becoming too much for some.
The Scarlet Lady cruise ship is based out of Miami but cruises won’t be starting until October. Virgin Voyages has announced an extension on its suspension of cruise operations and the first sailing is now scheduled to depart on October 16, 2020.
The Virgin Voyages cruise ship is the first in the fleet and is 110,000 gross tons with a guest capacity of 2,770 along with 1,150 crew members.
Photo Credit: Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock.com
