NEWS

Global Pandemic has forced us to always be cautious. It has been affecting the way we live. To be able to survive is not a choice. It is a MUST thing to do. So many businesses are forced to shut down. The cruise business is one of those which got affected badly. A lot of passengers needed to cancel their tickets or postponed their trips, mass crew's repatriation happened gradually, and a lot of employees got fired.

Now the situation is getting better. So many cruise operators are preparing their comeback with a new protocol, including one of the biggest cruise lines in the world, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL). According to Control Diseases Center (CDC), in order to get their fleet operated globally, there are certain conditions that need to be fulfilled by each cruise operator. Some of those conditions are the ships must be facilitated with complete personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by hospital nd adequate rooms for intensive cares, all crews work onboard must be trained about Quality, Health, and Safety environment (QHSE), and new certain health protocol must be applied onboard.

In order to prepare for the cruise to start operating globally, Samudera Indonesia Ship Management (SISMan) as the official hiring partner of RCCL in Indonesia, presented an online coordination meeting with crews under Samudera Indonesia Pool. The purpose of this meeting was to coordinate and prepare the pool to always update the news and stay connected online hence none of them miss the essential information. As part of our responsibility to the principal who trusts us in taking care of both new hire and rejoin crews and ensure that all of them are ready to go onboard with better preparation when the assignments come.

The coordination meeting was taken place online, lived on Zoom.  It was Saturday morning, 17 October 2020 at 9-11 am. Around 385 participants were enthusiastic to join the meeting. The meeting was navigated by a moderator, Ms Onie Insany K who also happens to be Cruise Recruitment Team. She used to be the one who held a prescreening interview for all candidates. For sure, all participants familiar with her. The meeting went smoothly with seriousness but chill at the same time because of her. She really knew how to make participants felt comfortable to get proactive in the meeting.

The meeting with topic Cruise 101: Comeback Preparation For Samudera Indonesia Pool, was led by keynote speaker, Ms. Maria Ulfa Arie K, a Cruise Department Head from SISMan. She is also the lead interviewer who handles the final interview for all participants. For sure, she is well known among all of them. No wonder most of the questions that arise during the meeting were pointed to her. Even though most of the questions were similar to one another, but yet, everyone felt that they need to ask something.

She mostly delivered information regarding what&rsquos needed to prepare by each crew in order to get ready for the &ldquocome back operation of the global fleet. She advised them to always stay connected and keep the information updated with Samudera Indonesia as the official Hiring Partner appointed by the principal, RCCL, and also to regularly check their CTRAC apps and email to ensure that no information is missed. She also reminded them to make sure that all needed documents prior onboard to get obtained or completed and ensure all of those were uploaded correctly on the CTRAC apps. Those all documents uploaded online need to get checked regularly to make sure that all have remained valid. She also advised the participants to remain calm during the Covid-19 situation, stayed patient, and not giving up as this too shall pass. Not to forget to keep reminding them to take care of their health, followed health protocol, and kept on doing something to enrich their skills and knowledge while waiting for the assignment to come.

The two hours of coordination meeting went well. Participants were satisfied and it helped them to eliminate their doubts and worries. In fact, among all of those three RCCL Official Hiring partners in Indonesia, Samudera Indonesia is the first and only one who presented the online meeting coordination with their pool and advised them about the comeback preparation. It also means to keep direct communication open between Samudera Indonesia as the Hiring Partner and its pool.