June 02, 2020

Norwegian Cruise Line is inching closer to entering service and has released a number of new health protocols on its website.

As part of the company’s Peace of Mind policy, it is adding a Public Health Officer to each ship and expanding the medical staff across the fleet.

The company is overseeing the installation of medical-grade air-filters, H13 HEPA, that remove 99.95% of airborne pathogens across to ensure the air is clean.

All guests will undergo an enhanced pre-embarkation health screening, and those considered at risk will undergo additional screening. Additionally, all crew will undergo extensive screening prior to embarkation and constant monitoring throughout the voyage, Norwegian said.

Touchless temperature checks and continuous monitoring of guests and crew throughout the voyage will help identify potential health issues, offering an additional layer of prevention and protection.

Norwegian noted that all ships will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected prior to every voyage in accordance with company protocols, which are developed in partnership with CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program.

Embarkation terminals will be sanitized continuously, and, where possible, fogged before and after each embarkation and debarkation.

Further, all staterooms, suites and public areas will be cleaned, sanitized and disinfected at an increased frequency, and including the use of Electrostatic Spray Technology, including fogging in staterooms and public areas with the disinfectant hypochlorous acid (HOCI). Hypochlorous acid is a non-toxic, powerful oxidant that effectively kills bacteria, spores, and viruses.

“Our 24/7 prevention schedule will feature continuous disinfection of public areas and high-traffic touch points. We will ensure that cleaning occurs continuously for all elevators and all public areas during on and off-peak hours,” the company said.

Buffets and beverage stations will be full service with staff available to serve guests.

Capacity wise, the company said it won’t operate at full capacity, and is working to get COVID-19 rapid testing kits onboard.

MarineXchange Receives Government Grant for Artificial Intelligence Project

The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) has officially announced to support the development of an AI (Artificial intelligence) forecasting project with MarineXchange (MXP), which provides enterprise software solutions to the cruise industry.

“Accurate supply chain forecasting is a huge challenge for the cruise industry,” MXP said, in a press release .”Because ships are deployed worldwide, items can have different specifications and pack sizes. Consumption patterns depend on guest profiles, seasonal items, substitutions and menu cycles. Vendor performance, freight and currency exchange rates need to be considered. The overall CO2 impact, waste reduction and fair trade are additional factors. To aid cruise companies in this complex decision-making process, more accurate forecasts are needed.”

By using AI, Big Data Analysis and Deep Learning methods, MXP will take marine Supply Chain Management to a whole new level, according to the company, by using the latest technologies like cloud computing.

The new AI forecasting module will be fully integrated with the MXP enterprise supply chain software and e-commerce portal.

MXP noted that the Austrian government considers this project highly innovative and with great potential and supports it with a grant.