PHOTO: The Noordam. (courtesy Holland America Line)
On recent routine United States Public Health inspections conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Holland America Line's ms Noordam achieved a perfect score of 100, marking the ship's second consecutive perfect score, and ms Veendam also scored 100. Additionally, Veendam earned a near-perfect score of 99 on an inspection conducted by Health Canada.
Veendam's unannounced U.S.P.H. inspection was held Aug. 29 during a turn-around call at Boston, Massachusetts, while the Health Canada inspection was July 21, 2015 at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, during a seven-day Canada/New England cruise.
Noordam's unannounced inspection was also conducted July 21, while the ship was at Skagway, Alaska, during a seven-day cruise roundtrip from Vancouver, British Columbia. Prior to that inspection, Noordam had received a perfect score of 100 in January 2015 during a call at Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
"Congratulations to the teams on Noordam and Veendam who worked diligently to achieve these exceptional scores," said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. "Our ships' staff and everyone involved in the inspections take great pride in these accomplishments, and their hard work and dedication are to be commended."
Also this year, ms Eurodam achieved its eighth consecutive U.S.P.H. score of 100, ms Statendam received its third consecutive 100, and ms Nieuw Amsterdam, ms Ryndam, ms Zuiderdam and ms Westerdam also earned perfect scores. In 2015, eight Holland America Line ships have received a total of seventeen perfect scores.
CDC inspections are part of the Vessel Sanitation Program, which was introduced in the early 1970s and is required for all passenger ships that call at a U.S. port. The inspections are unannounced and are carried out by officials from the United States Public Health Service twice a year for every cruise ship. Health Canada's Cruise Ship Inspection Program is harmonized with the United States' CDC Vessel Sanitation Program and inspections are conducted once a year when cruise ships visit Canadian ports.
The score, on a scale from one to 100, is assigned on the basis of a checklist involving dozens of areas of assessment, encompassing hygiene and sanitation of food (from storage to preparation), overall galley cleanliness, water, shipboard personnel and the ship as a whole.
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