CRUISE LINES TO SET NEW MANDATORY SAFETY AND ENVIRONMETNAL STANDARDS
(PRWEB) February 10, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Molly McPherson 703-522-8463
Arlington, VA (February 5, 2001) – The International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) announced today its members have unanimously agreed to set mandatory policies for cruise ship passenger and crew safety, security, environment, operational procedures, health safety, and sanitation. These new policies mark the first time an association of international maritime operators has adopted mandatory standards on such a wide-ranging set of topics. Adherence to the policies now will be required for continuation of membership in the association.
“This major step for the cruise line industry establishes standards in areas that go above and beyond both U. S. and international requirements,” said Michael Crye, ICCL president. “Since 1980, more than 60 million passengers have safely traveled on cruise lines. The industry wants to ensure that this excellent and enviable safety record continues.”
Existing U. S. and international regulations require compliance on a broad range of safety, environmental and health issues. These regulatory regimes however, differ in some respects. The new ICCL mandatory standards will meet or exceed U. S. or international standards in those areas addressed. For example, existing regulations require cruise ships to have smoke detectors sounding only on the bridge. New mandatory industry standards will require each ICCL member vessel to have smoke alarms that sound in all passenger and crew state rooms and adjacent corridors as well as on the bridge.
“Mandatory standards are another proactive step in maintaining the cruise industry’s position as the safest and most environmentally friendly form of maritime transportation available,” said ICCL Chairman, Richard Fain. “We take our commitment to our passengers and the environment very seriously.”
For most of the existing guidelines, each member line will integrate these industry standards into its Safety Management System (SMS), which will ensure compliance through internal audits and external audits conducted by independent third-party auditors. These audits are part of the SMS, which is mandated by the International Safety Management (ISM) code. The ISM Code is a requirement that became applicable to internationally operating passenger ships in 1998.
Examples of current ICCL policy guidelines, which will become mandatory industry standards as a result of this decision, include the following areas:
·Safety (i. e. Lifejackets, Helicopter pick-up area, Infant Personal Flotation Devices)
·Locally-Sounding Fire Alarms
·Security (i. e. Zero Tolerance for Crime, Passenger Safety)
·Environment (i. e. Waste Management Practices and Procedures)
·Medical (i. e. Facilities, Equipment, and Staff Qualifications)
Each of the existing guidelines will be reviewed within an ICCL working group and updated as necessary. When appropriate, the guideline will then become a mandatory industry standard. Compliance with the standard will become a condition of membership in ICCL.
# ICCL #
ICCL is a cruise industry trade association that represents the interests of 16 passenger cruise lines in the North American cruise market and more than 65 cruise industry suppliers. ICCL member lines operate 95 vessels that call upon major ports in the United States and abroad. These vessels carry more than six million passengers each year and account for approximately 90% of the North American passenger cruise line industry.
