By
Rebecca Gibson |
Holland America Line’s (HAL) Noordam and Veendam achieved full marks in recent routine United States Public Health (USPH) inspections conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Noordam achieved the perfect score during an unannounced inspection on 21 July while in Skagway, Alaska. This January, Noordam also earned full marks during an inspection in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Veendam also scored 100 during a turnaround call in Boston, Massachusetts, on 29 August, as well as a score of 99 during a Health Canada inspection on 21 July in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
“Congratulations to the teams on Noordam and Veendam who worked diligently to achieve these exceptional scores,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. “Our ships’ staff and everyone involved in the inspections take great pride in these accomplishments, and their hard work and dedication are to be commended.”
CDC inspections are part of the Vessel Sanitation Program, which was introduced in the early 1970s and is required for all passenger ships that call at a US port. Conducted twice a year, the unannounced public health inspections and evaluate ships according to a number of categories including adherence to hygienic food handling, preparation and storage procedures; overall galley cleanliness; and the quality of the ship’s potable water supplies, shipboard personnel and the ship as a whole. Scores can range from 0 to 100.
In 2015, eight Holland America Line ships have received a total of seventeen perfect scores.