MSC Cruises pauses Kenyan crew embarkation and hiring
The temporary fleetwide measure was scheduled to remain in effect through October 31 following a reported Ebola case in Nairobi.
MSC Cruises temporarily suspended the embarkation and recruitment of Kenyan crew members across its fleet, according to a notice sent to employees. An account of the company’s internal operational notice said it referred to recent public-health developments in Kenya.
The action followed confirmation by health authorities of one Ebola case in Nairobi, according to the report. The patient was described as a Kenyan national who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, became ill and traveled through Uganda to Nairobi, where the person later died.
Local authorities isolated people who had contact with the patient, the report said. No secondary transmission had been reported. The pause on Kenyan boardings and hiring was scheduled to continue through October 31 while MSC Cruises assessed the situation.
Andrew Mwangura, a former secretary general of the Seafarers Union of Kenya, characterized temporary crew-movement restrictions after a high-consequence pathogen case as a standard risk-management step. He said cruise ships operate under intense health scrutiny and that post-pandemic protocols remain embedded in industry practices.
