A horrifying discovery of a dead bird accompanied by squirming maggots on the grill of a cruise liner has been uncovered in an investigation.
The latest reports from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention have cast a spotlight on the hygiene practices aboard the world’s grandest ocean liners.
Every other ship surveyed achieved a ‘satisfactory’ rating with scores of 85 or more. But the Hapag-Lloyd’s Hanseatic Inspiration fell short, receiving a mere 62 out of 100 during its September inspection.
Surveillance carried out by the CDC revealed a catalogue of breaches, including one instance where a dead bird covered with maggots was found on an outdoor grill.
“The area under the outdoor grill was excessively soiled with water, debris, feathers, a dead bird, and maggots. The area was used the day prior to the inspection,” Item 33 of the CDC report said.
The CDC’s inspection also highlighted: “Pest management and monitoring was extremely insufficient and allowed excessive pest entry into food areas. Several live and dead insects, a dead bird, and live maggots were found in various food areas onboard the vessel.
“However, the pest management logs indicated there were no known pest issues on board the vessel.”
Inspectors have highlighted a litany of issues aboard a cruise ship, as the report adds: “No record of disinfection for the swimming pool’s hair and lint strainer between September 8 and September 21.
“Supervisors were inadequately monitoring critical and high-risk food processes” and “potwash operations were chaotic, disorganized, and not in compliance”.
The inspection also noted the presence of “live flies” in several areas such as the lido potwash clean storage rack and the pool bar cold sink. Dead insects were also discovered in various food-related zones.
There was an absence of anti-rat guards on the mooring lines as inspectors boarded the vessel at 8.30am after it had docked the previous day. These guards are crucial to prevent rats from accessing the ship.
A spokesperson from Hapag-Lloyd said: “The health of both guests and crew has always been our top priority at Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. For years, we have consistently met strict hygiene standards well above the minimum requirements.
“The incident in the previous month in no way reflects the operational excellence that our ships stand for. We immediately addressed the deficiencies, thoroughly investigated the causes, and submitted a corrective report to the authorities.
“A working group of internal and external experts is overseeing and supporting the implementation of measures to ensure our high standards are maintained permanently.”
Five cruise ships, including Caribbean Princess, Carnival Breeze, Evrima, Kydon and MSC Magnifica, have narrowly passed health inspections with a score of 86 out of 100.
In addition, several disease outbreaks have been reported on cruise ships throughout 2024. This includes an outbreak of salmonella onboard Radiance of the Seas in late September, affecting 8.29 per cent of passengers.
P&O Cruises’ ship Arcadia also experienced a norovirus outbreak from September 3 to October 3, impacting 5.57 per cent of passengers.
Furthermore, six other cruise ships have suffered norovirus outbreaks this year, including Celebrity Summit, Sapphire Princess, Radiance of the Seas, Koningsdam, Queen Victoria and Celebrity Constellation. The Silver Nova also had an E.
coli outbreak, with 28 of the 633 passengers onboard reporting illness.
The CDC, America’s national public health agency, is tasked with protecting the country from health, safety and security threats both domestically and abroad.