Global Cruise Industry Adopts New Safety Policies

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) &  European Cruise Council (ECC) announce that the cruise industry has adopted two new safety policies

The new policies address issues related to the recording of passenger nationality and the common elements of musters and emergency instructions, resulting from the Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review launched in January 2012.

The Nationality of Passengers policy was developed in response to the request of governments at the May meeting of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee meeting.  This policy prescribes that the nationality of each passenger onboard is to be recorded and made readily available to search and rescue personnel as appropriate.

Under the Common Elements of Musters and Emergency Instructions policy, member cruise lines have specified 12 common elements that will be communicated to passengers in musters and emergency instructions.  Among those common elements are a description of key safety systems and features and an explanation of emergency routing systems and recognizing emergency exits.  Both policies exceed current international regulatory requirements.

Each of these policies will be reported to the IMO for consideration at its next session in November 2012.