ROYAL Caribbean International (RCI) has suspended all Indian crew member assignments until further notice.
Indian seafarers will not be able to board RCI ships at this stage after the cruise line decided to temporarily cancel all assignments for nationals and residents of the country.
According to a letter sent to RCI crews, the decision is based on a range of reasons, and related to recently announced travel restrictions and complexities with crew member movement to and from India.
“It’s always unfortunate when we must cancel assignments but we believe this is a prudent decision at this time,” the letter says.
“We know how much our crew look forward to returning to work after waiting for so long…we also understand how tough it can be to have to make last minute travel changes.”
RCI added although the course of action was not preferred, it is the reality of the quick changes the cruise line needs to make based on different reasons that are often “unplanned and beyond our direct control.”
According to Crew Center, around 300 Indian crew members were assigned to join Anthem of the Seas.