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Answer: Every nautical and engineering officer on our ship has a government license either issued or approved by our flag state that confirms they have met the requirements for their position on the size of ships that we operate. These requirements vary by position and, as would be expected, are particularly rigorous for our senior officers. To obtain a license, they must have graduated from an accredited maritime college.

We try, to the maximum extent possible, to grow people within our company. We operate a comprehensive nautical and engineering cadet program whereby young women and men who are enrolled in maritime colleges are able to spend over a year on our ships supplementing their classroom education with onboard training. People who successfully complete their cadetship are offered positions as junior officers and, so long as they continue to demonstrate their proficiency and upgrade their licenses, promoted through the ranks.

All of our crew are appraised by a senior officer at the end of each sailing assignment. These appraisals form the basis for promotion decisions.

Shoreside, many of our people either have spent years first working on our ships or have other maritime experience. Several members of our management teams have joined us after first serving more than 20 years with the U.S. Coast Guard.