Silversea Luxury Cruise Ship Fails CDC Inspection

A luxury cruise ship that charges passengers $1,000 per night may be the last place you think would fail

a health inspection. Regardless, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) failed Silverseas’

Silver Shadow ship carrying 382 passengers during a surprise inspection on June 17 in Skagway, Alaska.

As inspectors boarded the ship, crew members rushed to hide kitchen equipment and food, which they

hurriedly relocated into the cabins of crew members.

Passenger vessels are inspected by the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), under the CDC and with health

inspectors from U.S. Public Health Service, twice a year without notice. After this inspection, Silver

Shadow was given a failing score of 82 out of 100. Inspectors reported that crew members moved 15

trolleys from the ship’s kitchen to hide food and “avoid inspection.” In addition, inspectors found dirt in

storage space for vegetables, mildew on a refrigerator unit and improper use of the cooling process of

items being served at the ship’s restaurant, La Terraza.

The inspection was performed after a crew member who remains anonymous sent pictures to the CDC

of the improper storage of raw meat and food trays in the cabins of crew members and in hallways.

Another crew member claimed that managers ordered crew members to store food in the cabins at

night, which are each shared by two to three crew members. A contracted pastry chef, Adriano Colonna,

claims food was hidden daily, including unrefrigerated cheese. There were also cases of crew members

suffering from diarrhea.

EnzoVisone, the CEO of Silversea, released the following statement: “At Silversea Cruises we pride

ourselves on providing the best quality services to our guests. Since the preliminary report was given to

us, a full investigation has been carried out into the circumstances which led to this unsatisfactory result

and a number of steps have been taken to ensure that the standards of food hygiene, in particular, are

of the highest order. The other issues contained in the report have been rigorously dealt with as well.”

Silverseaclaims it has hired the services of a sanitation consultant, has set up an anonymous call system

for crew members to report problems and has implemented additional crew training for crew members

who handle food, including supervisors, cooks, bar staff and waiters.

The VSP is a regulatory body that cannot force Silversea to implement changes or fine the company for

failing inspections. The inspectors did pour chlorine liquid on the food found in cabins to prevent it from

being served to passengers. The ship will also be inspected again in a follow-up in August.

Silversea has an excellent history of passing CDC inspections with scores in the 90s and some scores of

100 out of 100. It also carries smaller groups of passengers, such as 300, in comparison with cruise ships

that carry thousands at a time. The cruise line is based in Fort Lauderdale and is known for providing a

luxury dining.

You can visit the CDC’s website to look up past scores for the cruise lines you wish you travel with.