COVID-19 Consequences and Travel Insurance Policy in Leading Cruise Shipping Corporations

Abstract

Purpose: The study aims to evaluate the insurance packages offered to cruise travellers by cruise ship companies. The following research questions have been raised: 1) What kind of insurance is offered to passengers by cruise ship companies within the tourist package? 2) What is the insurance coverage offered to passengers within the tourist package? Design/Methodology/Approach: A few research methods were applied: literature review, data exploration method, desk research and comparative analysis. Findings: Research revealed lack of publications on cruise travellers' insurance cover. The conducted analysis has indicated that cruise travellers cannot expect compensation from cruise lines in case of cancelled cruise travels in case of pandemic and can only choose cruise travel in a different time, which is frequently unsatisfactory. Practical Implications: The results of the foregoing may constitute an interesting source of information for both the potential cruise travellers, but also tour-operators, cruise shipowners and insurance policy makers. Originality/Value: The review of literature revealed lack of publications regarding the issue of insurance policy applied by cruise lines towards cruise travellers, and the scope of their liability in this respect.

Satisfacción laboral y COVID-19: el caso del sector de los cruceros

“…Precisamente, como en cualquier sector, una gestión sostenible de los recursos humanos es uno de los retos fundamentales para garantizar la competitividad de las compañías y de cada uno de sus barcos, pues, siendo sus trabajadores el principal activo de cualquier organización y base del logro de sus objetivos, una buena gestión que pueda garantizar la satisfacción, la productividad, la motivación, el bienestar mental, la salud y la seguridad de los empleados, resulta esencial dentro los modelos organizativos estratégicos de estas empresas (Kizielewicz y Wolska, 2017;Azizi et al, 2021). Aunque trabajar a bordo de un crucero pueda considerarse una experiencia enriquecedora, los horarios de trabajo, los turnos, la escasez de periodos de descanso y los largos periodos de alejamiento familiar, hacen que la gestión del personal empleado en los barcos deba atender y contemplar una gran diversidad de aspectos relativos a la motivación, la comunicación, la educación, la promoción, la toma de decisiones y la satisfacción de los empleados en un entorno específico y, en ocasiones, aislado, muy diferente a otros espacios laborales (Vučur, Miloslavić y Bošnjak, 2016;Vázquez-Vázquez, Luque-Sendra y González-Abril, 2018).…”

Legal assessment of BIMCO’s infectious or contagious diseases (IOCD) clauses for voyage and time charter parties

“…To avoid the risk of prejudicing P&I cover, owners and charterers should contact their P&I clubs before any contractual deviation takes place – especially if bills of lading have already been issued. This subclause focuses on the risk to the crew when calling a port [34] .…”

“…Subclause (d)(iii) includes the charterers’ indemnity for costs, expenses or liabilities incurred by the Owners in relation to claims from holders of bills of lading due to the vessel waiting for and/or complying with alternative voyage orders. It is essential for charterers to check with their P&I Club that this indemnity is covered by their P&I insurance before agreeing to the Clause with owners [34] .…”

Sustainable management in the time of uncertainty on the cruise shipping market

“…Before 2020, no one assumed that a global pandemic was possible, affecting all continents and the lives of people around the world. Nobody expected such a scenario, and even companies operating on a global scale neither anticipated such events, nor had insurance policies to that end (Kizielewicz, 2020) that would have guaranteed their security in case of such events. Some symptoms of the above-described behavior were observed among the activities of the leading cruise shipping companies.…”