“We used to say that the motivations for tourists were sea, sun and sand … the three new Ss are safety, security and sanitation”, so said Walter Jamieson.Tradewinds reports that one cruise vessel, being criticized for poor sanitary conditions, is a case which should be taken seriously. The report concludes:
“There were violations and these included ‘brown liquid’ dripping on to clean plates and a fly on the buffet. Refrigerators were out of order and there was improper installation of anti-entrapment drain covers in pools, posing a possible danger to swimmers. There were also faulty dishwashers that managers allegedly failed to do anything about until inspectors arrived and water from a broken ice machine leaking onto the pool deck. One of the cooks doing active food preparation had a goatee and was not wearing a beard restraint,’ a CDC inspector noted.”
Time and again one reads Port State Inspectors citing a vessel for poor sanitary condition especially in galley and refrigerating chambers. Most of the citations of this nature are dealt with promptly, and the vessel is not detained. This leads to the question: Is this the case of proverbial sweeping the dust under the carpet?
It is obvious that apathy that is shown in matters of maintenance and safety leading to incidents is also shown in sanitation and cleanliness.
Before there is an incident of a vessel being cited for the cause of an epidemic, it is prudent to see if enough importance is given to sanitation and cleanliness. We talk about “Safety Culture”; it is high time Sanitation and Cleanliness Culture (S & C Culture) is also emphasized.
One cannot accept the statement that what one accepts on what is clean is not acceptable to another one because of culture difference. This laissez faire attitude is to be nipped in the bud. Code of dress for the staff in galley (beard restrainer is case in point) is to be strictly enforced. The handling of food is to be standardized.
I fear if a cruise vessel was found lacking, the other vessels are not far behind.
The maritime industry is well advised to take sanitation and cleanliness on board vessels before a huge stick is wielded by all and sundry.
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