Whether it's about taking a leisurely trip along the shores of the Arabian Sea, or going with family to spend a relaxing Thanksgiving, the cruise ships allow a perfect way to float away from your responsibilities for some time. Cruising along the shores is rejuvenating but before you do so, you must take some preventive steps. And if you’re a cruise ship service provider or are associated with cruise and passenger vessel management, there are more responsibilities on you. 

Cruise ships are prone to the virus outbreaks such as the Norovirus and Coronavirus. Since we are already in a pandemic, we must focus more on sanitation and disinfection practices on the cruise. To make sure that the crew and passengers are safe from catching flu and cold from each other, install the Anti-Germ Dome on your cruise ship. This will help you keep the door handles of the ship clean and disinfected all the time, and will reduce the spread of infections there. If you’re still unconvinced, read more!

Recent Outbreaks on Cruise Ships

According to an estimate, around 30 million passengers travel in 272 cruise ships around the world every year. Cruise ships bring people from various countries in proximity for several days, and that’s the biggest risk factor especially during this pandemic. From February to March 2020, major outbreaks of Covid-19 were reported which included 800-laboratory tests and 10 deaths. 

You must have heard about the ‘Diamond Princess’ that went into lockdown after the outbreak of Coronavirus. There was only one passenger who was tested Covid positive before embarking and soon after that 174 were tested positive. Those on board were in quarantine because they were suspected too. Around 10 crew members were also infected on this cruise. 

Crew members are in direct contact with other people because they share the same facilities. According to New York Times, thousands of crew members work and live elbow-to-elbow on the ships. These crew members remain on the cruise and when other sets of passengers board on the ship, there is a chance that they might infect them too. 

It's not about the Diamond Princess only, other cruise ships named World Dream, Westerdam, and Royal Carribean’s The Anthem of the Seas cruise ships were also affected due to Covid-19. The vacations of these passengers turned into nightmares because of the outbreak and they were quarantined, not knowing what’s next! The Royal Carribean’s The Anthem was docked at a port in New Jersey and more than 20 passengers on that ship were screened for Covid-19. Out of these passengers, 4 were sent to the hospital for further testing related to the Coronavirus.

All this hassle because there was no proper sanitation or disinfection system at the cruise (mainly because the severity of Coronavirus wasn’t evident at that time). Anyhow, on 13th of March, 2020, the Cruise Lines International Association announced a voluntary suspension of services for 30 days because of the ‘level 3’ warning issued by CDC. CDC had recommended that all types of cruise travels should be deferred worldwide because of the underlying health concerns. 

Why do viruses spread more easily on cruise ships?

According to CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), the cruise ship travelling has a lot of health related concerns. Apart from Covid, other diseases like foodborne, waterborne, and person-to-person spread are easily facilitated there. The GI (Gastrointestinal) infections like norovirus are also prevalent in cruise ships. 

Another main point of concern is that, when a cruise ship is completely empty and free of passengers, another set of passengers is ready to embark immediately. So during another trip of passengers, they can catch the diseases of previously embarked ones. This speeds up the spread of infections because the high touch surfaces are already infected. The CDC also made it clear that the risk of infection increases due to multiple voyages because of the port visits. 

The infectious disease specialist at Australian National University, Professor Sanjaya Senanayake says that at a cruise ship there are passengers and crew members from different parts of the world that are close to each other and they mix intimately. They have different levels of immunity which lead to an infection outbreak. The Coronavirus is airborne and it also spreads through droplets such as in the form of saliva or mucus. Even if there is no direct contact between people, they have a chance of being infected. For example, if a person sneezes with his hands on mouth and then he uses the same hand to open the door using its handle, the handle will be infected. This way anyone touching the door handle will be affected too. 

How can the Anti-Germ Dome help the cruise businesses prosper?

Passengers on the cruise ship could be ingesting and inhaling more than 60 times higher amounts of toxic air pollutants. If you provide cruise ship services, you must create a clean and safe environment for the passengers. Poor maintenance and cleaning methods can damage your business and take your customers away.

The UV technology is playing an important role in disinfection and decontamination of the cruise ships. This technology has made sure that the high touch surfaces are free from germs and the air we breathe is also fresh. One such device is the Anti-Germ Dome that is installed on the door handles and it automatically disinfects the handles to keep it clean. Here’s how this device can keep your cruise clean and safe:

• It can destroy the genetic material of the bacteria and viruses and sanitize the door handle very effectively. 
• It provides continuous and automated bidirectional UV disinfection so that sterilization and sanitation of the surface occurs in an ongoing cycle. 
• It kills pathogens when humans are not around (it can sense human-hand and stop the cycle). This makes sure that the UV-disinfection is done on the surface of the door handle only. 
• It is ideal for crowded places like cruise ships, marine vessels and accommodation facilities. 
  

The installation of Anti-Germ Dome in various sections of the cruise ship

During the past years, even before the pandemic, more than 10,000 passengers have been infected and suffered during various virus outbreaks and it cost the cruise lines more than $100 million. Not only do the virus outbreaks cost the cruise businesses millions of dollars but there is also a loss in potential customers in the future. Maintaining high standards of disinfection and sanitation can prevent the passengers and crew members from falling sick and will save your business. 

Adding a layer of protection with the UV-based device Anti-Germ Dome will help in disinfection of various areas of the cruise ships. The Anti-Germ Dome can be installed in cabins, kitchen areas, dining areas, and even bathrooms and keep the door handles free of germs. Following are the compartments of a cruise ship that you can equip with the Anti-Germ Dome:

Cabins

Cabins in the cruise ships are those rooms that are similar to the hotel rooms but are a bit smaller. There are various types of cabins on a cruise ship which include inside cabin, outside cabin, balcony, and suite. To make your guests feel confident and safe, install the Anti-Germ Dome on the cabin doors. This way the cabin will remain germ-free and your customers will have a peace of mind. 

Dining areas

The dining area of a cruise ship is that place where lots of people gather to dine in. This is a common place for the spread of the germs as people meet each other and touch different surfaces too which can cause the spread of infection. Installing the Anti-Germ Dome at the entrance and exit doors can prove to be a life saver! The device will make sure that the people entering or leaving the area are not infecting each other. 

Kitchens

The UV-disinfection by Anti-Germ Dome can also prove to be helpful in the kitchens of the cruise ships. With this device you can not only prevent Coronavirus from spreading in the kitchens and other areas of the ship, but also stop other illnesses from spreading such as the norovirus, E.coli, and Salmonella. 

Bathrooms

Bathrooms at any public place or transport is prone to infectious diseases and it should be cleaned and sanitized regularly. Along with cleaning and sanitizing, you can also install the Anti-Germ Dome device on the door handle of the bathrooms. This way your guests will be well protected and transmission of germs to one another will be prevented. 

Bottom Line

To keep your cruise ship safe and protected during the pandemic, you must equip it with all the cleanliness and safety measures. Just cleaning and disinfection practices won’t help because of the greater risk of the spread of infections. Installing the Anti-Germ Dome will make sure that the high-touch surfaces, the door handles of the cruise ships are cleaned and sanitized on a regular basis. Cleaning and disinfection of the visibly dirty surfaces along with UV disinfection can prove to be the best practice for prevention of Coronavirus and other diseases during the pandemic.