Health Canada made a surprise inspection of MSC Poesia during her recent maiden-call in Quebec where she received a perfect score of 100 after the rigorous examination during her inaugural sanitation inspection.

The inspection team from the Workplace Health and Public Safety Program (WHPSP), the Canadian equivalent to the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS), said the 100-point score was awarded because of the outstanding state of sanitation, safe food handling, and the general high level of understanding and compliance in the areas of food, water, air and general hygiene onboard MSC Poesia.

Health Canada officers conducted intense inspections of the food provisioning, storage and preparation areas, the ship’s laundry, bars, self-serve buffets, restaurants, warewashing machinery, room service operations, medical and children’s centers, as well as its Integrated Pest Management Program, waste management, housekeeping and public area cleanliness, recreational and potable water protection and supply system, air purity controls, and the ship’s general procedures to prevent or control illnesses.

Over the years, MSC Cruises’ ships sailing in Caribbean waters have consistently earned “Superior” scores on USPH inspections. The last 100-point score for a ship in the Caribbean was earned on the MSC Poesia in May. She earned several during the past Caribbean season.

MSC Cruises practices this policy of going above and beyond daily. One example of MSC’s detailed approach to cleanliness involves crew members who empty, disassemble, clean and sanitize every ice machine, 60 per ship, on all of our 11 ships weekly.

Richard E. Sasso, president and CEO of MSC Cruises (USA), said, “Why do we perform so well on these inspections? It’s our corporate philosophy to be the most responsible we can be in both safety and environment.”