Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

2 2 8 NORTH AMERICA: INTERV IEW “Our employees’ willingness to do other things at the port blew me away” T he Covid-19 pandemic has affected all nations, industries and organisations, but PortMiami’s director and CEO Juan Kuryla is looking at the positives that have come out of it. During a meeting with Miami’s Tourism and the Ports Committee in July, he spoke about the resilience and hard work of the port’s employees during the virus- imposed lockdown. “I want to really thank the team at every level of the organisation, from the executive team to everybody that is out there doing painstaking cleaning, painting and carpentry work during this very difficult period for the port,” he said. The port has been able to secure the jobs of most of its workforce, enabling many of them to successfully work from home. “We are very proud; they are doing just as well as they were when they were coming into the office,” said Kuryla, praising his staff for their contributions. “Once cruises ceased in mid-March, our employees’ willingness to do other things at the port – such as manual labour and restoring some of the facilities – blew me away. Their efforts have been second to none.” During this time, the team at PortMiami has been doing its utmost to prepare for when cruise ships and their passengers return to the port, and to ensure the health and safety of employees and port visitors. “In terms of workforce protection, we have been operating strictly under the health and safety protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” Kuryla explained. Resilience and preparation PortMiami is making plans to ensure the safety of all employees and passengers when the cruise industry reopens. Port director Juan Kuryla tells Elly Yates-Roberts more