Windstar Cruises is to retrofit its six yachts with hospital-grade Hepa filters, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and will employ a safe sanitisation formula used in healthcare settings, the company has revealed.
The move comes on the back of a partnership with the epidemiology department at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Center.
“We are taking extensive measures and making multi-million dollar investments to operate our
yachts more safely in this new environment,” said Windstar Cruises CEO Andrew Todd.
“Building upon Windstar’s 180 degrees from ordinary service, the Beyond Ordinary Care
program implements a layered system of science-led best practices aimed at keeping everyone
aboard healthy.”
“Windstar’s holistic approach has multiple layers of safety at hospital grade standards, and
when combined with responsible hygiene practices from guests, it’s the safest environment
achievable with tech and science as we know it today,” said Dr. Michelle Barron, medical
director of infection prevention at University of Colorado Hospital and professor of medicine,
Division of Infectious Diseases, at University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Center.
“When you’re sailing on a Windstar yacht, your biggest worry should be how to avoid a sunburn, not
getting Covid-19.”
Windstar is making the investment as part of its Beyond Ordinary Care programme, which run as follows:
1. Install high-efficiency particulate air (Hepa) filters to filter the air on board
2. Add yet another layer to sanitize/disinfect the Hepa-filtered air with UV-C light for
germicidal irradiation
3. Use EvaClean with PurTab for disinfecting surfaces via sprayers
“Windstar operates small yachts that visit ports and waterways that large cruise ships simply
can’t access,” said Todd. “There are major advantages to smaller ships besides less tonnage and
passengers. Let’s face it, cleaning and purifying a 342-passenger ship is logistically easier than a
5,000 passenger ‘city at sea.’”
