Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

4 9 Ibea suntius, quidem aut et est eaquam ipidem cumquiamet ut et versperunt, quid el et plabore, utem et ullaut eatinit Chief marketing officer Barbara Muckermann, chairman Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio and Roberto Martinoli at Silver Origin’s official delivery ceremony in the Netherlands INTERV IEW A unique brand Silversea Cruises’ Roberto Martinoli tells Sandra Speares why he is confident about the cruise brand’s ability to resume safe operations in the wake of the pandemic R oyal Caribbean Group fully acquired ultra-luxury brand Silversea Cruises in July 2020, two years after purchasing a controlling two-thirds share of the brand in July 2018. “This was a significant moment in the history of our cruise line, and we all welcome the positive news,” says Roberto Martinoli, president and CEO of Silversea. “We’re in unprecedented circumstances and these are challenging times for not only the cruise industry, but also for many sectors, especially for those within the global travel industry. Now more than ever, we’re grateful to be able to count on the invaluable support of Royal Caribbean.” Some of this support has come in the form of Royal Caribbean’s new Healthy Sail Panel. “The panel is a very strong team of 11 industry-leading health professionals that will combine their knowledge and experience to provide clear guidelines to not only the cruise industry as a whole, but also to other travel sectors too,” says Martinoli. “We’re perfectly placed to lead the way in the healthy return to service once the time is right.” Martinoli believes the global cruise industry is exceptionally resilient, having weathered many storms in the past. “Cruise lines have always applied the most rigid sanitary protocols and used innovative technologies to safeguard the welfare of guests and crew, such as ultraviolet lighting and fogging,” he says. “Once the time is right, we’ll return to sailing with even stricter sanitary protocols to ensure that guests are safe.” In Martinoli’s view, Silversea has an inherent advantage in that it operates small ultra-luxury vessels with some of the highest space-to-guest ratios and crew-to-guest ratios at sea. “This will help to facilitate physical distancing and ensure high sanitation standards,” he explains. “However, this will never mean