Royal Caribbean International has an estimated 500 Ukrainian crew members on its fleet, according to President and CEO Michael Bayley in a social media post.
The company is stepping up to assist crew, having made available all communication channels so they can talk to their families, Bayley said, and also offering them assistance in getting home or close to home in the event they wish to leave their contracts early.
“We are trying to expedite any Ukrainian crew who wishes to join any of our ships earlier than scheduled,” Bayley said. “Counseling has been made available to them and ships captains and management are obviously in daily communication with them to offer assistance as needed.
“We also have over 200 Russian crew who also are concerned and anxious over these events and we are offering them the same support. The Royal family is here for all our crew and our thoughts and prayers go out to all impacted by these events.”