Sustainability - People

PEOPLE

Our number one priority is keeping our passengers and crew safe and well. We are proud of the excellent healthcare we offer on our ships and, even though COVID-19 is no longer the threat it was, we continue to maintain exemplary hygiene practices. We also have a comprehensive safety management system in place and aim to identify risks so we can act before incidents occur. Our crew play a very important role in making our guest experience a success, and we know how important it is to support their well-being. We provide all the training our people need to do a good job, and support those with high potential who want to grow their careers with us.

Read the MSC Sustainability Report (2019 edition)

Health and Safety

Safety training for all crew is mandatory with additional more detailed training specific to each role.

A team of fleet safety trainers from the shoreside Crisis Response Department are responsible for standardising, monitoring, assessing, and if necessary, correcting, the onboard safety activities.

Upon embarkation, and before the ship’s departure, all passengers must attend a safety drill.
Every passenger carries a cruise card or wrist band to ‘check in’ at an assembly station, with the Muster Evacuation Monitoring Protocol System tracking when passengers are on board or when they disembark. This Protocol also includes information about people with special needs who might need additional support in an emergency.

In response to COVID-19 a comprehensive set of operating procedures have been developed that build upon already stringent health and safety measures that have long been in place on board our ships. The new procedures include universal COVID-19 testing for all our guests and crew prior to embarkation and protected shore visits at each destination.

Our safety procedures are specifically designed to greatly exceed IMO and International Safety Management (ISM) Code regulations and we cultivate a culture where our whole crew has direct responsibility for safety.

Health and Safety

Employee Training and Development

Most initial training of onboard employees occurs at our dedicated crew training facilities around the world allowing training in simulated settings with the same equipment as found on our ships.

Mobile trainers are deployed to the ships, and there is increasing use of e-learning modules, available to all via the crew members’ own smart phones or via tablets available on board each ship, to ensure continued professional development.
With complex technical equipment onboard, deck and engine teams go through comprehensive technical training and certification, in accordance with all applicable national and international rules and regulations and in compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).

In 2019, we invested €6.9m in training 15,227 of our crew for an average of 36 training hours each. Shoreside employee investment was €1.8m with 129,490 hours of training and an average of 50 hours per employee.

Whether they work on the Bridge, the engine room, in hospitality, or in a supporting role onshore, all our people receive the training they require to allow them to do an exceptional job.

Employee Training and Development

Diversity and Inclusion

Successful steps have led to increased diversity specifically in the Deck department through engaging new officers of diverse nationalities.

At present, 55.5% of our shoreside employees and 18% of onboard crew are female. Our expansion plan means we need to recruit tens of thousands of crew members and we will use this opportunity to improve gender equality across all areas of our operations. We have made a commitment to reach gender equality across our fleet over the next four years.
Our guest-facing crew are provided with training on cultural awareness and sensitivity to various groups, including people with disabilities.

With 124 nationalities across the business, we have a truly international workforce that represents every creed, colour and background.

Diversity and Inclusion

CHARTING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

For us Sustainability means protecting the environment, supporting the people who work with us and choose to travel with us,
as well as the communities and places that we visit and do business with.
Discover our sustainability programme organised around four key pillars: Planet, People, Place and Procurement.