This cruise ship failed its CDC operational sanitation inspection
An MSC Cruises ship failed a recent inspection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, receiving a score of 67, nearly 20 points below what the agency considers satisfactory.
The agency found numerous deficiencies during its inspection of MSC Seaside, such as flies in the bar area at the Seaside Bar, passenger sinks with no soap or a broken soap dispenser at the buffet on Deck 16, and “black filth residue” coating unopened yogurt containers in a walk-in refrigerator, among others, according to the inspection report dated April 27.
The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program conducts regular inspections of ships to “determine how well ships are operating and maintaining sanitation standards in accordance with the current VSP Operations Manual,” according to its website.
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“MSC Cruises rigorously adheres to health protocols, and the results of this inspection do not reflect the brand’s high standards,” a spokesperson for the line said in an email. “We launched an internal investigation based on the inspector’s concerns and took immediate corrective actions.”
Ships that have failed an inspection are inspected again “within a reasonable time period,” Dr. Erik Svendsen, director of the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice at the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, said in an email. If ships fail because of an imminent risk to public health, the VSP may recommend they not sail, though MSC Seaside did not fail for that reason.
Those risks include being unable to chlorinate potable water properly, having inadequate facilities for cleaning and sanitizing equipment and others.
“Most of the hundreds of cruise ships inspected by the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) each year pass their inspections with a ‘satisfactory’ score of 86 (out of 100) or above,” Svendsen said. “Failures are uncommon.”
The last ship to fail an inspection was Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess in 2020, receiving a score of 77, according to the CDC’s website. MSC’s Meraviglia and Seascape ships received scores of 98 and 100, respectively, during inspections in February.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for Paste BN based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.