Ship Officers and other white collar staff

[voljeep]

What do they do all day while just hanging out on the ships waiting for cruising to resume ?

[AF-1]

Maybe they play cards or other board games with fellow crew.  

[wolfie11]

Haha haha.... paperwork, more paperwork, reports, monitor ship functions, supervise staff...  The deck and engine departments have roughly the same amount of work to do whether there are passengers on board or not.  Hotel department may have it a bit easier.

[rkacruiser]

When cruising begins again and if the ship on which you cruise offers a Behind the Scenes Tour (not a freebie), Book It Dano!  Such a tour will be an eye opener as to what has to take place daily that most guests don't have a clue about.  

 

In recent years, the most frequent comment that I have heard from Senior Officers is the amount of paperwork that is involved as well as the micro-managing, at times, that they endure.  With or without guests, I would be surprised if such is not still taking place.

[skynight]

Skeleton crew would probably include deck officers, engineering officers and crew, galley officers and crew, medical staff. While not as busy as normal, they still have to keep the ship in operating condition.

Deck officers have to man the bridge 24/7, and complete pretty much all the same documentation they normally do.

Engineering officers have to maintain the engines and all of the normal things like plumbing, hvac, water systems, all that stuff. There are probably a few crew that continue to scrape and paint. Without constant effort the ship would fall into disrepair.

Medical staff would handle all medical stuff.

Galley officers & crew will have to prepare meals for every one on board. I'm guessing in the crew DR's.

Some ships still had some of the entertainment staff on board. They probably still entertain themselves and other crew members.

[Daniel A]

They probably still need to do lifeboat/firefighting drills as there are still a lot of souls aboard.

[towhee]

Perfect time for planning and/or training.

[SeaDog-46]

Unless the ship is in COLD Layup the Bridge & Engine Room watches will still be done.  Crew will also be required on watch.

[chengkp75]

The "white collar" supervisors (they are not officers) that the OP is asking about, from the hotel department will be repatriated along with all other crew as non-essential.  Essential crew will be a reduced engine department, a reduced deck department, a few crew galley staff, and one or two cabin stewards, perhaps, for the officers, and that's it.  Medical is not required, once the passengers have left, security, environmental, and HR all gone.  The entire hotel staff: housekeeping, laundry, galley, waitstaff, bar staff, cruise staff, guest services, purser, all concessionaires, will all go home.

 

Deck and engine departments will continue work pretty much as normal.

Edited May 21, 2020 by chengkp75

[ontheweb]

53 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

The "white collar" supervisors (they are not officers) that the OP is asking about, from the hotel department will be repatriated along with all other crew as non-essential.  Essential crew will be a reduced engine department, a reduced deck department, a few crew galley staff, and one or two cabin stewards, perhaps, for the officers, and that's it.  Medical is not required, once the passengers have left, security, environmental, and HR all gone.  The entire hotel staff: housekeeping, laundry, galley, waitstaff, bar staff, cruise staff, guest services, purser, all concessionaires, will all go home.

 

Deck and engine departments will continue work pretty much as normal.

Wouldn't there still be a need for at least some medical staff as even if there are no passengers? There are still the essential crew members aboard that you have listed. Some of them could possibly need medical attention.

Edited May 21, 2020 by ontheweb
punctuation

[chengkp75]

1 minute ago, ontheweb said:

Wouldn't there still be a need for at least some medical staff as even if there are no passengers, there are still the essential crew members aboard that you have listed. Some of them could possibly need medical attention.

No other ships than cruise ships have a medical staff.  A requirement for all deck officers under the STCW convention is that all deck officers receive certification in "first aid provider", and that all senior deck officers (Chief Officer/Chief Mate and Captain) receive certification a "Medical PIC (person in charge)".  Many times, the Second Officer/First Officer on cruise ships will have the Medical PIC endorsement, and will fulfill the Medical Officer duties onboard.  Ships will also enroll in a medical consulting service where shoreside doctors are on call for assistance in medical cases.

[ontheweb]

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

No other ships than cruise ships have a medical staff.  A requirement for all deck officers under the STCW convention is that all deck officers receive certification in "first aid provider", and that all senior deck officers (Chief Officer/Chief Mate and Captain) receive certification a "Medical PIC (person in charge)".  Many times, the Second Officer/First Officer on cruise ships will have the Medical PIC endorsement, and will fulfill the Medical Officer duties onboard.  Ships will also enroll in a medical consulting service where shoreside doctors are on call for assistance in medical cases.

Thank you. I always learn new things from your answers.

[Daniel A]

44 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

No other ships than cruise ships have a medical staff.  A requirement for all deck officers under the STCW convention is that all deck officers receive certification in "first aid provider", and that all senior deck officers (Chief Officer/Chief Mate and Captain) receive certification a "Medical PIC (person in charge)".  Many times, the Second Officer/First Officer on cruise ships will have the Medical PIC endorsement, and will fulfill the Medical Officer duties onboard.  Ships will also enroll in a medical consulting service where shoreside doctors are on call for assistance in medical cases.

That's during normal times though.  During this pandemic, aren't disembarking personnel required to have a health certification from a doctor before they can disembark?

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

The "white collar" supervisors (they are not officers) that the OP is asking about, from the hotel department will be repatriated along with all other crew as non-essential.  Essential crew will be a reduced engine department, a reduced deck department, a few crew galley staff, and one or two cabin stewards, perhaps, for the officers, and that's it.  Medical is not required, once the passengers have left, security, environmental, and HR all gone.  The entire hotel staff: housekeeping, laundry, galley, waitstaff, bar staff, cruise staff, guest services, purser, all concessionaires, will all go home.

 

Deck and engine departments will continue work pretty much as normal.

Who washes the dirty uniforms, sheets and towels if laundry is closed? Use the passenger machines and DIY?

[chengkp75]

6 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Who washes the dirty uniforms, sheets and towels if laundry is closed? Use the passenger machines and DIY?

Yep.  Just like all other ships.  Typically there is either a passenger laundry or a laundry with smaller machines that are used for pax laundry and uniforms.  As I said, they may keep a cabin steward or two, those that are normally assigned to officer cabins, and they can do the linens.  Crew are on their own.

 

9 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

That's during normal times though.  During this pandemic, aren't disembarking personnel required to have a health certification from a doctor before they can disembark?

Nope.  Once a ship has made the "Master's attestation of health" as well as the normal request for pratique, crew in the US, from other than cruise ships, are allowed to freely arrive and depart the ship, even going to doctor visits or shopping, depending on the local laws outside the port facility.  Some states, and some countries have required ships' crews to quarantine for 14 days after getting off the ship, or arriving from their home country, many ports are not allowing crew changesbut this is the thing that the IMO is working to get around.  Crew on ships are among the safest people on the planet these days.  Once you have been on the ship for 14 days, you relax protocols like separate meals and masks, and you join "general population", and business on the ship reverts to the normal before the pandemic.  Only when we deal with shoreside personnel (pilots, terminal personnel) do we initiate social distancing and sanitizing protocols, and keep the number of interactions to a minimum.  USCG has, from the beginning of the pandemic, recognized merchant mariners as essential personnel, and have informed all ports and terminals to allow mariners free access to/from the ships, consistent with local regulations.  Only cruise ship crew are singled out as requiring doctor's certificates, and non-public transporation (I just flew from the ship in Texas back to Maine, used a cab, four airports and three United airplanes), despite the fact that these crew have been in quarantine longer than anyone in the US, and are not part of the "gradual reopening" being allowed to everyone else.

[EDDY0827]

20 hours ago, voljeep said:

What do they do all day while just hanging out on the ships waiting for cruising to resume ?

In a nod to Jeopardy! and Alex Trebek, I'll give the answer in the form of a question:

Q-"Bored" games.

A-What do they do all day while just hanging out on the ships waiting for cruising to resume ?

 

[chengkp75]

Oh, and just to clarify, I have never considered myself to be a "white collar" job.  Seafaring is definitely a blue collar profession.

[Daniel A]

3 hours ago, Daniel A said:

That's during normal times though.  During this pandemic, aren't disembarking personnel required to have a health certification from a doctor before they can disembark?

 

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Only cruise ship crew are singled out as requiring doctor's certificates, and non-public transporation (I just flew from the ship in Texas back to Maine, used a cab, four airports and three United airplanes), despite the fact that these crew have been in quarantine longer than anyone in the US, and are not part of the "gradual reopening" being allowed to everyone else.

Thank you for your detailed response.  Am I correct in my understanding that cruise ship crew members still need a doctor's certification of health before they can disembark during the pandemic?  If so, wouldn't cruise ships still need to have a doctor aboard?

[Rancher Dave]

18 hours ago, Daniel A said:

They probably still need to do lifeboat/firefighting drills as there are still a lot of souls aboard.

yes regular drills are required by SOLAS for all ships, so with no passengers they are like a tanker or container ship with all the same SOLAS requirements and drills.  Just may not happen only while docked now.    

 

My first crew drill (small ship in oil industry) was conducted half way between Virginia and Bermuda, and it included donning a survival suit, firefighting air pack, going over how to launch the life raft, etc...never hurts to know how to launch a life raft as it is generally the same for those giant white container held life rafts on the cruise ships. 

[Daniel A]

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

(I just flew from the ship in Texas back to Maine, used a cab, four airports and three United airplanes), despite the fact that these crew have been in quarantine longer than anyone in the US, and are not part of the "gradual reopening" being allowed to everyone else.

So, when you got back to Maine do you need to do a 14 day quarantine?  From what I read a quarantine done outside Maine doesn't count.

 

I hope they don't screw up my trip to Rangeley in August.  😟

[CruisingAlong4Now]

Clearly the staff are attending art auctions and practicing trivia.

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, Rancher Dave said:

yes regular drills are required by SOLAS for all ships, so with no passengers they are like a tanker or container ship with all the same SOLAS requirements and drills.  Just may not happen only while docked now.    

 

My first crew drill (small ship in oil industry) was conducted half way between Virginia and Bermuda, and it included donning a survival suit, firefighting air pack, going over how to launch the life raft, etc...never hurts to know how to launch a life raft as it is generally the same for those giant white container held life rafts on the cruise ships. 

Crews are required to have a drill of some description (fire, abandon ship, collision, pollution, enclosed space entry, etc) at least once a  week.  There must be a fire drill and an abandon ship drill at least monthly.

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, Daniel A said:

 

Thank you for your detailed response.  Am I correct in my understanding that cruise ship crew members still need a doctor's certification of health before they can disembark during the pandemic?  If so, wouldn't cruise ships still need to have a doctor aboard?

While there is significant crew onboard, yes, the medical staff will likely remain.  Doctor's certification (and I believe the CDC is still holding cruise ship crew to this unnecessary requirement) could be obtained by a doctor brought onboard to examine those ready to disembark.  That will be until either the CDC sees reason, or the cruise lines sue the CDC for discriminatory practices against their crew.

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, Daniel A said:

So, when you got back to Maine do you need to do a 14 day quarantine?  From what I read a quarantine done outside Maine doesn't count.

 

I hope they don't screw up my trip to Rangeley in August.  😟

Yes, but there's no one to enforce it.  I am having the tough time of a 14 day quarantine at our lake house, while my long suffering wife has to stay in Portland.  Weather's beautiful today, may have to turn the AC on tomorrow.  😀

 

I know that at the Texas/Louisiana border the Texas state troopers were stopping anyone with LA plates and getting their name, phone number, home address, and the address in Texas where they would be quarantining, and they showed up at these locations a week later to see if the people were really there.

[voljeep]

6 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Yes, but there's no one to enforce it.  I am having the tough time of a 14 day quarantine at our lake house, while my long suffering wife has to stay in Portland.  Weather's beautiful today, may have to turn the AC on tomorrow.  😀

 

I know that at the Texas/Louisiana border the Texas state troopers were stopping anyone with LA plates and getting their name, phone number, home address, and the address in Texas where they would be quarantining, and they showed up at these locations a week later to see if the people were really there.

and Hawaii