Cunard has issued a statement to explain why its flagship Queen Mary 2 failed health inspections in New York earlier this month.
The ship received an “uncharacteristically” low score in a recent surprise inspection by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to reports in the US press, officials found cockroaches in a food storage area, human hair in an ice machine, and dirty water in the splash pool.
The report is said to have used the word "filthy" several times.
These failings resulted in a score of 84 out of 100, which falls below the 86 pass rate.
In its defence, Cunard said: “On most previous inspections she has scored over 95, on three occasions achieving the maximum of 100.
“The poor assessment on June 10 resulted largely from one small area of the ship's overall operation. All the issues raised in the report were immediately addressed and have now been corrected.
“Ship and shore management have now redefined certain roles and responsibilities to clarify accountability and the company's already rigorous training schedule has been stepped up. The company is confident that failings of this nature will not occur again, and that the ship's VSP scores in the future will return to the customary consistently high level.”
By Bev Fearis
