Quarantine has been incredibly difficult for all of us, around the world. Imagine being stuck on a ship, your employment terminated, passport held by your employer and your family hundreds or thousands of miles away struggling to make ends meet without you. Imagine being held against your will by a multi-billion dollar company that made the decision that you are not worth the time nor money required to repatriate and reunite you with your family.

There are approximately 40,000 cruise line crew members being held against their will – some forced to work at 20% less pay, others terminated and held on ships with no severance or pay – on the following cruise lines in US waters: Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line and MSC.

After more than 100 days of detainment at sea, with little or no information about how and when the situation may resolve, the mental health of crew members is deteriorating quickly. Many report experiencing anxiety, distress and hopelessness, and there have been numerous reports of hunger strikes.

Crew members do not feel safe. When interviewed, most request anonymity for fear of retaliation. The vast majority of those held have been terminated with no pay or severance, and they are unable to get off the ship to look for other work. Without pay, the crew members have no money nor means to send much needed sustenance funds to their families back home, who depend on this income to survive. The situation is dire, crew members are desperate. As of June 24th, there have been 11 confirmed cases of crew members committing suicide since the start of the detention in March, most by jumping over board.

The authors of this petition are calling on Norwegian Cruise Line to disembark and repatriate approximately 1800 crew members whom they are holding against their will on the following ships in four US ports (Miami FL, Jacksonville FL, Portsmouth VA, Oakland CA) since March 14, 2020: Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Spirit.

The CDC has laid out guidelines with which cruise lines may repatriate their crews– the process can be very costly (note: most countries are accepting citizens, but some are requiring private transportation or testing and quarantine that cruise companies must pay for). Norwegian Cruise Line has made the decision not to spend the money to repatriate its remaining 1800 crew members, many of whom are from poor countries around the world where they represent the financial life-line to their families. These men and women do not have means to stand up to Norwegian Cruise Line; they do not have a voice.

If every effort is not made to repatriate the crew right away, and if there is a Covid resurgence, crew members could be stuck on these ships at sea, indefinitely. This scenario would be catastrophic for crew members and for their families back home.

Please sign our petition:

Norwegian Cruise Line: holding your crew members against their will is a violation of their human rights. Your employees are moms and dads, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters and they need to be safe, at home with their families. It is the responsibility of your company to take all necessary actions to prioritize their safety and well being, to get them off of your boats and home to their families. It is unethical to not prioritize your crew member-employees and their families over the financial cost to your company to send them home.

The undersigned demand that Norwegian Cruise Line prioritize the safety and well-being of each of its approximately 1800 crew members – end the mental and physical pain and suffering it is imposing upon them – by taking immediate action to repatriate and reunite them with their families.

Contacts:
Media Relations: publicrelations@ncl.com (305) 436-4713;
Andrea DeMarco, Head of Investor Relations ademarco@ncl.com (305) 468-2463