chengkp75

Virtually no helicopter evacuation from a ship at sea will be done by anything other than the military (or coast guard) using military type equipment. The reason the helicopter came back alongside the ship, is that the flight crew want to avoid a catastrophe if a problem happens to the helicopter, so it doesn't go down on the ship. Also, the thermals over the ship from the ship's funnels makes it hard to maintain a good hover, requiring lots of concentration, so minimizing the time hovering over the ship is logical. The only time those helipads on the bow of cruise ships are used is when the seas are absolutely glass calm. Since the ship needs to keep moving to head into seas to minimize motion, the helicopter needs to maintain a "moving hover" (hovering stationary over a moving spot), with the high front of the ship heading right into the cockpit window. Most evacuations happen on the top deck, roughly midships.

I'm not sure that it is a passport "sampling" that randomizes the scrutiny, but I know that CBPS gives each agent quite a bit of latitude when determining action. As noted, Regent will not get involved (it's not their business), and he may not be allowed on the train to the Yukon, or he may, upon disembarking in Vancouver, be escorted by CBPS to his flight. Or, nothing may happen.

Regatta 8/25 Nautica 2/25 Insignia 12/24 Sirena 10/24 Marina 5/24 (but this may just be an in-water survey) Riviera 12/25

But, what were the vetting requirements set by NCL? Does it have a mental health investigation, and what does that cover? Does it have a "temper" clause? And, NCL has the right to turn down any crew member before they even travel to the ship.

It's never been even a tradition that the Captain must die with the ship. In the days of sailing ships, the Master was very often a part owner, and so could be sued by the cargo owners for the value of the lost cargo. Even when not an owner, the Master was personally responsible to the owners for the value of the ship and cargo. So, when a ship went down, some decided that rather than face debtor's prison, it was better to just die with the ship. Conscious decision, not a tradition. It was more treated as "the Captain must ensure that all passengers and crew are safely away from the ship, but in doing so, he risks not being able to get away himself".

South African, I was incorrect before. But, still, nope. If the person met the requirements of the contract between NCL and the crewing agency, there is nothing NCL can do about it.

Yes, the crew are not getting anything extra for being hired by the ship management company. And, while Viking is paying a fee to Wilhelmsen for managing the ship, they have found that, as you say, Wilhelmsen can do it better, for less money (less Viking shore payroll offsets the Wilhelmsen fee). In fact, Wilhelmsen does the payroll for crew as well, but the pay rates are set by Viking, either by market forces or by collective bargaining agreements in the crew's home country.

Not really. Viking places certain expectations of quality, professionalism, and service on the management company, and if these are not met, then if the problem is with a crew member or officer, they are replaced at Viking's request. If the problem is endemic, then the management company can find itself being replaced.

Not a law, but a requirement to meet the US USPH/CDC Vessel Sanitation Program. Interestingly enough, the EU's ShipSan program, while similar, allows swim diapers in pools.

Virtually all ships' crews, on all vessels around the world are hired by the shipowners through manning agencies in the home countries of the crew. Shipowners find this practice very efficient, as the company does not need to keep a large personnel department, with contacts in many countries, but relies on the crewing agencies to have large pools of candidates available at all times. In the US, crew are hired through unions, for the much the same reasons, the union is responsible for maintaining the pool of mariners, not the company.

Still doesn't answer why whether they are employed by Viking or by Wilhelmsen it would affect your evaluation of them.

Now, which officers are you referring to, and what have they not done to your satisfaction? Interested to know, as again, noted that there is an operational break between technical and hotel.

If you've seen these people in the passenger public areas, they are not part of the regular crew, especially wearing t-shirts. At any time, there can be manufacturer's tech reps onboard to service equipment, it is found to be more cost effective, and better maintenance that way. For instance, the engines require complete overhaul every 2.5 years, and this takes 5-6 men, working 12 hour days, about 4-6 weeks to complete. The engineering staff do not have that kind of man/hours available from their "normal" maintenance routines, so one or two tech reps from the engine manufacturer are brought in, and a marine engineering service, like Goltens or Chris Marine, will provide some more grunt labor. Now, if you've seen these people wearing this gear ashore, well, getting "swag" from the tech reps is a longstanding maritime tradition, and the first question the crew ask the tech reps is "what swag do you have?" Many cruise lines that don't use an outside ship management company, will use an in-house, operating company that charters the ship from the parent cruise line, and further, typically only one, or at most three, ships are owned by the same company, regardless of how many ships the cruise line has. So, for example, the Viking Orion is owned by "33 Sea Leasing Co, Ltd" while Viking Star is owned by "Viking Ocean Cruise Ships I", and both are managed by Wilhelmsen on the technical side, and likely another Viking subsidiary operates the hotel side.

And, really, even if you contaminate your hands from the menu, if you don't eat with your fingers, you break the transmission chain. Knife and fork for french fries, burgers, and pizza, if you are concerned.

Typically, the necropsy finds that the whale was diseased or injured prior to the ship strike, as whales are quite able to avoid ships when healthy.