Dirtiest cruise ships investigation finds beer tap sludge and maggot infestations on board

The filthiest cruise ships sailing around the United States have been revealed, with live maggots, a dead bird, and “thick brown residue” around a beer tap making up some of the worst issues.

Hapag-Lloyd’s Hanseatic Inspiration cruise ship has been named by the Centres for Control, Disease and Prevention (CDC) as the current dirtiest cruise ship.

The Vessel Sanitation Progam inspects cruise ship operations to make sure that they are maintaining sanitation standards, as well as helping the cruise industry prevent and control the spread of gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses that can cause diarrhoea, abdominal pain and fever.

Inspections occur unannounced and are carried out while a ship is in a US port, with the inspectors then providing recommendations and training if they find any issues.

Ships are scored on a scale of 100, with a score of 86 or above considered satisfactory, whereas 85 and below are considered unsatisfactory.

In September, the Hanseatic Inspiration scored just 62, with the CDC finding many violations of their standards.

Issues included maggots on a decaying bird under an outdoor grill, several live and dead insects found in various food areas onboard the vessel, a lack of records for disinfecting the swimming pool hair and lint strainer for two weeks, and food not being stored or cooled properly.

The inspectors also found that pot wash operations were “chaotic” and “disorganised,” and discovered brown residue and debris in areas such as a beer tap and a sink.

The CDC said that “supervisors were inadequately monitoring critical and high-risk food processes, permitting unsafe practices to continue in food preparation areas” aboard the cruise ship.

In response to the report, a Hapag-Lloyd Cruises spokesperson told The Independent: "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 recent incident in no way reflects the operational excellence that our ships stand for.”

The spokesperson added that the German cruise line, who also operates as a shipping company, immediately began investigating the issues onboard the ship and started to address the violations, as well as bringing in experts to suggest new measures to ensure standards are maintained.

Margaritaville at Sea’s Paradise was another cruise ship that was found to be unsatisfactory with a score of 83. Issues included a walk-in freezer, refrigerator and deep fat fryer all out of service, and no soap in the handwashing station.

Other cruise ships scored a satisfactory level, but only just made it past the threshold, such as Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess, Carnival Cruises’ Carnival Breeze, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Evrima and MSC Cruises’ Magnifica, which all scored an 86 at most recent inspections.

MSC Cruises said in a statement to the The Indpendent that they “rigorously adhere” to health and sanitation protocols and while their score was satisfactory, they have made further improvements onboard.

There were 19 cruises that scored 100 this year, including, Royal Carribean’s Brilliance of the Seas and Carnival Cruises’ Carnival Spirit.

Carnival Cruises also said in a statement that out of 30 inspections of their fleet, all had passed and received 27 scores of 90 or above, including two perfect scores in the last year.

“We continually strive for the highest sanitation standards and implement immediate corrective action, often while the CDC inspectors are still on board, and use the outcomes of these inspections as learnings for our teams,” they added.

The Independent has contacted Margaritaville at Sea and the other cruise companies that scored an 86 for comment.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast