Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

Sailing in safe hands Jon Ingleton asks Olaf Groeger about the comprehensive programme COLUMBIA Cruise Services has developed to help its managed fleet restart cruise operations COLUMBIA Cruise Services is helping Marella Cruises to develop new health and safety protocols on Marella Discovery and Marella Discovery 2 C OLUMBIA Cruise Services (CCS) has put together a Health and Hygiene Consultancy Project Team with a unique set of experts in the fields of public health, hotel services and technical operations. The team is developing holistic and tailor-made health and hygiene programmes for cruise operations and hotels. “Our consultancy programme offers the 3-steps of services to suit individual business needs, clientele, budgets and health and hygiene goals,” says Olaf Groeger, managing director of CCS. The team starts by assessing a cruise operator’s business to help plan for the resumption of commercial operations. “We work through the most up-to-date information and procedures in line with all of the major public health guidance that is applicable to an organisation’s business practices,” says Groeger. We address business continuity planning, including risk management prior to a disease outbreak, support in the event of an outbreak, and assistance in returning to operations afterwards. “Our Our team of experts provide a complete outbreak management service, including company and guest prevention plans and advanced outbreak management plans,” says Groeger. EU Healthy Gateways Joint Action was the first internationally recognised expert group to release interim advice for restarting cruise ship operations after lifting restrictive measures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic on 30 June 2020. “This important initial guidance for the cruise industry is fundamentally in line with the generically implemented land- based rules and regulations in European countries,” says Groeger. “But the response from other organisations on resuming “Our consultancy programme offers a catalogue of services to suit individual business needs” INTERV IEW 1 5 5