nCoV could spell trouble for Pinoy cruise ship crews

By Raffy Ayeng, Manila Times, 10 Feb 2020

Filipino crewmen on cruise ships could soon be feeling the fallout from the the 2019 Novel coronavirus (2019nCov) outbreak.

United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) President Nelson Ramirez said the jobs of Filipino crews in cruise ships could be at risk, once cruise lines downgrade their Asian operations because the spread of the dreaded virus.

“Most cruise lines are bringing guests and tourists to Asian foreign destinations such as China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, among others. So how will they operate if the disease originated in China and has already spread in Asia? And cases of 2019 nCov has spiked to mentioned nations. These cruise lines will not compromise the health of their people and guests to the threat of the disease,” Ramirez said.

He said almost half of cruise ships’ crew are Filipinos.

“The government should look into the matter, as most jobs of these Filipino maritime professionals will be stashed or put on hold. Mabuti kung magawan sila ng paraan ng foreign principals na mai-assign sa European fleet,” Ramirez said.

Last Friday, the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) which hires thousands of Filipino seafarers through its local agent CF Sharp Crew Management Inc., cancelled the Asia trips this year of the Norwegian Spirit, citing growing concerns over coronavirus.

The Norwegian Spirit will not be sailing in Asia from April 15 to December 7 this year.

“Please be advised that a full refund will be processed automatically to the form of payment provided at the time of booking. As a goodwill gesture, we have arranged for a future cruise credit, worth 10% toward your future cruise, to be issued,” the company said.

There was no immediate information available on where the ship will be sailing.

Princess Cruises, whose ship Diamond Princess has been quarantined while in anchorage in Yokohama Bay, Japan, for 14 days, has adjusted its visits to China, its special administrative regions and other Asian destinations.

Several weeks ago, Genting’s World Dream, which operates from Hong Kong, reported a huge drop in passenger bookings, from the usual 4,000 to just 800.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) also expects huge revenue losses from nCov, after cruise ships were banned from docking at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, a prime tourist and cruise ship destination.