In recent weeks, deaths and protests on board have been reported, confirmed by cruise lines.
A crew member of the cruise ship Regal Princess died on May 9 after being overboard in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Princess Cruises confirmed the death of the 39-year-old Ukrainian woman and said that the cruise company had cooperated and facilitated an investigation by the Rotterdam police.
A crew member aboard the Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas also died by sea, Royal Caribbean confirmed. The cruise line said it was helping the authorities investigate and did not confirm the date of death.
About Carnival Breeze of Carnival Corporation, which is currently returning to Europe to repatriate crew members, a Carnival employee also died on May 9, according to a Carnival spokesperson. The cruise line has not confirmed the cause of death.
"His death is not related to Covid-19, but out of respect for his family, we will not provide further details," the Carnival spokesperson told CNN.
Last week, a group of crew members who are Romanian citizens confined to a Royal Caribbean ship went on a hunger strike in order to draw attention to their fate, reported the Miami Herald. Royal Caribbean told CNN that the situation has since been resolved.
Royal Caribbean also confirmed reports of protests aboard another ship, the Majesty of the Seas, after photos posted on social media showed a protesting crew and a sign hanging on the pool deck indicating "How many more suicides do you need?" Royal Caribbean has not confirmed that the deaths were suicides.
The situation on Majesty was resolved after a meeting with the captain and the management team, said Royal Caribbean spokesperson Jonathon Fishman.
Cruise lines have said efforts to repatriate stranded sailors continue, but many employees are frustrated and discouraged. To this stress is added the pressure of days spent locked up in a tiny cabin, often windowless. Poor Wi-Fi, inconsistent communications, and financial worries add to the burden.
Cruise ships landing in the United States must comply with strict regulations imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States agency for health protection.
Cruise lines must sign certificates that meet the requirements before personnel are authorized to leave the ship. The crew is invited to travel via charter flights organized by cruise lines, and the repatriation of the crew by commercial transport is only authorized on a case-by-case basis with the prior approval of the CDC.
Repatriation efforts around the world are also complicated by border closings, ports prohibiting cruise ships and blocking travel. In addition, cruise ships have always intended to keep a number of crew members on board during the interim period.
"Our situation is getting worse," said Caio Saldanha, a Brazilian DJ who works for Celebrity Cruises, owned by Royal Caribbean. Saldanha spoke to CNN last week from a windowless cabin on the Celebrity Equinox in the Bahamas.
Saldanha said he read information about the fatalities on board other crew members online, and thought it was a suicide.
"We are treated like goods," he told CNN. "We need help."
Pressure and stress
Much of the conversation about cruise ships at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic focused on the return of passengers home, and the plight of cruise ship workers was largely set aside. Now most of the passengers have disembarked, but thousands of crews remain in limbo.
For Saldanha, hearing about possible crew suicides has exacerbated his already high level of anxiety.
"I constantly feel great sadness and a huge urge to get out of here," he said. "It's a nightmare."
Saldanha was originally aboard the Celebrity Infinity ship. He embarked in March, alongside his fiancée Jessica Furlan, who also works for Celebrity Cruises.
After almost two months aboard Celebrity Infinity, Saldanha and Furlan were moved to Celebrity Reflection and then to Celebrity Equinox, as part of the repatriation efforts.
Equinox was at full capacity with the crew awaiting repatriation, said Saldanha, so there were too many people on board for the entire crew to be placed in guest cabins. Saldanha and Furlan were placed in one of the windowless crew cabins.
While the Celebrity Equinox cabins were full, according to Saldanha, the public areas of the ship were a "ghost ship", as seen in her video below.
His fiancée, said Saldanha, felt the burden. He says Furlan has experienced skin rashes, nightmares and anxiety attacks.
Last Friday, Saldanha and Furlan were transhipped again. They are currently on Celebrity Reflection, which has fewer crew members on board, so they have been assigned a guest cabin.
They're more comfortable on Reflection, said Saldahna, but still desperate to go home: "We [are] still being held by the company against our will, but we feel better on this ship, "he said on Monday.
Earlier this month, Royal Caribbean, owner of Celebrity, said that the cruise line had reached an agreement with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to disembark the crew under strict guidelines from the CDC.
A Brazilian crew, including Saldanha and Furlan, is scheduled to return home via flight from the Bahamas on May 27, according to a Royal Caribbean weekly update document released on May 12 and seen by CNN. The departure airport was not specified and the information was listed as subject to change.
The document also told the crew that there is a "combination of factors that affect repatriation plans", including restrictions based on the location of the ship, restrictions in the countries where flights connect and restrictions in the final "gateway nation".
"Some countries have temporarily closed their borders to everyone, including their own nationals," the document reads. "We are currently working on all possible options."
Saldanha expressed frustration at the mixed messages he said he received from the cruise line, as well as the general difficulties of being on board.
He said he sympathized with the Romanians who allegedly organized the hunger strike: "I think they are right to take this step," he said.
Royal Caribbean did not respond to CNN's question that some Royal Caribbean crew members were in crew cabins, rather than guest cabins.
"The goal of bringing all of our crews home safely remains our top priority," said the cruise line operator in a statement to CNN.
"So far we have successfully repatriated over 16,000 crew members, and we are working with governments and health officials around the world on our plans, and we greatly appreciate patience, understanding and good spirit of our crews. "
Royal Caribbean also confirmed the death of a crew member on board the Mariner of the Seas, apparently of natural cause.
The cruise line has announced that the "majority" of its crew will be repatriated by the end of May.
Insulating experience
American Brian Bailey felt like he had reached a career high when he started working as director of expedition activities for Silversea Cruises, aboard the small vessel Silver Cloud, which can accommodate 254 guests and a few hundreds of crew members. Silversea Cruises is owned by Royal Caribbean.
Bailey developed his love of theater by coordinating the performances on board - in addition, he was able to see the incredible sights and wildlife of Antarctica as the cruise ship made its way around the South Pole.
"It was the perfect blend of entertainment and science, being on an expedition ship," Bailey told CNN.
But as a result of Covid-19, Bailey, like Saldanha, was one of the many crew members stranded.
"I had my own internal difficulties," said Bailey of his seafaring period. But he explained that his emotional troubles had been alleviated by having a role to play on his ship - he had gone from entertaining guests to entertain the crew.
Now Bailey is back home: after more than a month at sea, he landed in Tenerife in the Canaries in April. But leaving the ship was bittersweet, as not everyone had landed. As Bailey breathed a sigh of relief on dry land, he shouted a farewell to his still brown colleagues. He then made the long trip back to the United States by air.
Bailey has since stated that he is in constant communication with his former shipmates. He is also conducting a campaign to raise awareness of the situation, targeting his representatives in the United States Senate, the media and contacting the United Nations via Twitter.
"We value our crew as our greatest asset and we are proud of them for their leadership. Our waterfront staff are working tirelessly to ensure the fastest possible repatriation of our non-essential crew," said one spokesperson for Silversea Cruises.
"Due to the very limited availability of flights and other local restrictions that are beyond our control, it has taken a lot longer than usual, but it is underway."
Krista Thomas, who lives in Vancouver, Canada, is also actively campaigning to bring the stranded crew home. Thomas worked on cruise ships for six years and has many friends in the industry.
She created a Facebook page to offer information and support to stranded crews. At first, Thomas said that the crew who contacted her were optimistic. But over time, the messages "become more and more discouraged and desperate," she told CNN.
Thomas gave an example of a crew that missed the birth of a child and others who lost a family member while stranded hundreds of kilometers away.
"I recently added a licensed psychologist to our group page, as a volunteer, so that there is an option for me to give to crews who do not want to use the crew assistance line," a- she declared.
Thomas pointed out that strict quarantine and isolation guidelines mean that many crew members are almost entirely isolated.
She believes that even healthy people could "fall into depression under these circumstances".
Many crew members have had their contracts terminated, so they are no longer allowed to work. Thomas said that some of the crew members contacted her, concerned about the financial implications for themselves and their families.
In addition, as Bailey noted, not being able to work removes a sense of purpose or distraction.
"So you have days without doing anything: aimlessly, without getting paid - no answer when you can go home. It just becomes this state of limbo," said Bailey.
Face on board
All ships have doctors on board, but former doctor Eilif Dahl told CNN that cruise lines should make sure that advisory services are also available all the time, but especially when of a crisis like this.
"The doctors on board are not psychiatrists, and in this situation they will be overworked," said Dahl, now a professor emeritus in the Department of Occupational Medicine at the Norwegian Center for Maritime Medicine and Diving at the University Hospital. Haukeland from Bergen, Norway.
Dahl said cruise lines should provide assistance from outside experts to help employees' mental well-being.
Many cruise lines offer free therapy for the crew.
A spokesperson for Princess Cruises told CNN that each ship offers telephone access to qualified advisers.
Cabin exercise and fitness programs are also available, the cruise line added, as well as on-demand movies and satellite stations.
"In addition, the content created by the ship and hosted by the personnel on board is broadcast daily, including fitness classes, games and anecdotes," said the spokesperson for Princess Cruises. "The ships offer various free and low-cost Internet packages for personal email, internet browsing and other social media platforms. All crew members receive three meals a day and snacks for preferences Western and Asian. "
The cruise line reiterated its commitment to reunite the ship's crew with their families and said progress was being made. Princess Cruises added that this is a "complex process" due to international travel restrictions, which vary from country to country and include countries with closed borders.
Royal Caribbean told CNN that an employee assistance program is available to crew members, which is confidential and available 24 hours a day.
A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line told CNN that all employees have access to an employee assistance program that includes certified counselors.
"In addition, our medical team on board is trained to identify guests and crew who may need additional resources and assistance," said the cruise line.
"Regarding our repatriation efforts, we are doing everything we can [to] bring all our crew members home, and we are working with government officials on a landing plan in our fleet, "added the Carnival spokesperson.
"We continue to take care of our crew members on board, including providing them with Wi-Fi so that they stay in touch with loved ones at home. We are working diligently to resolve issues and keep our informed crew members. "
Carnival, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean told CNN they support the families of the deceased crew members.
There are also independent support services. The International Seafarers' Welfare and Welfare Network operates a 24-hour helpline for seafarers and their families.
Roger Harris, executive director of the network, told CNN that the organization had received triple the number of calls than usual in the past two months.
The issue of on-board connectivity can be controversial, as often employees have to pay extra for Wi-Fi, which can be glitching in the ocean. But many cruise lines are currently offering their stranded employees free or low-cost connection, which Harris advocates.
"Make life as simple as possible, allow them to use guest cabins, make sure they are safe from the virus and protected as much as possible," was Harris' best advice for companies cruise to guarantee the mental health of employees.
Facebook activist Thomas also cited the importance of good Wi-Fi and good technology, as well as socially distant interaction, healthy food options and access to medicines and psychological services. But Thomas said the only real solution was to repatriate the crew.
"The only way to manage this humanitarian crisis is to bring the crew home. It is too late for anything else," said Thomas.
Harris also reiterated the importance of keeping workers informed of repatriation efforts, so that no one would feel abandoned.
Sea change
Before the pandemic, working for a cruise company was often considered a perma-vacation. Long hours and unpredictability have been overlooked.
But now many more people are aware of this "hidden workforce," as Harris called the cruise staff.
Harris said he hoped the cruise lines would provide more support for those working at sea in the future. The medical expert Dahl is more cynical.
"Cruise lines will be mainly concerned with the return to business, which will be extremely difficult," he said.
Crew member Bailey said he thought the fault lay with the countries that have closed their ports, rather than the cruise line. As soon as he was safe, he would love to return to his job at Silversea.
That said, he believes that many aspects of the cruise industry need to be rethought for the future, so that the despair of current events is never repeated.
"There just has to be a pandemic response protocol, so when that happens, they bring the ships and get [passengers and crew] out of ships immediately and in quarantine, "said Bailey.
"There has to be some sort of agreement that we're not just going to abandon people."
