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The Indispensable Travel Industry Read Feature Highlight Abacus: Leader in Asia Pacifi c for travel solutions Vol. 3 Issue 06 | 21 February 2012 | www.travelweeklyweb.com | Published by Travel & Meetings Group, Ten Alps Communications Asia Pte Ltd News Tiger Airways launches Singapore- Kochi service News Page 3 Drills before departure essential Resorts World Sentosa opens two new hotels: Mandatory safety drills on cruises before departure Passengers on cruise ships will have to attend safety drills before departure from a port following a new emergency policy effective immediately. Voluntarily initated and introduced by The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), European Cruise Council and the Passenger Shipping Association, it exceeds the existing legal requirement which mandates that a muster occur within 24 hours of passenger embarkation. It followed an announcement on January 27 of a Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review in response to the Costa Concordia incident and as part of the industry's continuous efforts to review and improve safety measures. (Costa Concordia ran aground off the Tuscan coast in Italy on Jan 13 with more than 4,000 on board). Musters are mandatory exercises conducted on cruise ships to ensure passengers are informed of safety protocols while onboard the ship, including emergency evacuation procedures. A CLIA press statement added: "On rare occasions when passengers arrive after the muster has been completed, passengers will be promptly provided with individual or group safety briefings that meet the requirements for musters applicable under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)." In Singapore, Royal Caribbean Cruises (Asia)'s corporate communication manager, Chin Ying Duan said: "Royal Caribbean Cruises has already in place on all its ships the abandon ship drill, known as the "muster" drill, which all guests and crew have to participate in at the beginning of each voyage, to ensure they are familiar with what to do and where to go in the event of an emergency. "To further ensure they are aware of their specific muster location, each of our guests' card keys is individually imprinted with their muster location onboard. The location also is prominently noted on the back of each stateroom door. "In addition to the guest muster drill, our officers and crew conduct weekly, monthly and annual drills on every ship to train and prepare for response to a wide variety of potential situations. All of our ships have sufficient lifesaving craft to accommodate every guest and crew member onboard, as well as additional capacity in reserve." The nonprofit Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) – formed in 1975 – is the world's largest cruise industry organisation, representing the interests of 26 member lines, 100 Executive Partners and more than 14,000 travel agencies. CLIA participates in the industry's regulatory and policy development process. Page 8