Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises Announce Revised Muster Drill Policy

Prestige Cruise Holdings, parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, has announced that effective immediately all ships will hold guest muster drills on the day of departure. Presently, all Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises vessels hold muster drills on the same day of departure, with few exceptions.

“On just a handful of occasions the drill is held the following morning, primarily to accommodate late-arriving guests,” stated Robin Lindsay, executive vice president of vessel operations for Prestige Cruise Holdings. “However, in light of the recent tragic event, Oceania and Regent have adopted a new policy that requires all muster drills to take place on day of departure.”

All Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises vessels are designed and operated in compliance with the strict requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which mandates global standards for the safety and operation of cruise ships, through adoption of regulations, resolutions and treaties. The most important of these treaties is the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention, which includes comprehensive mandates on safety equipment and procedures. Prestige Cruise Holdings’ ships adhere to all IMO and SOLAS regulations and requirements. In addition, all officers and crew who have specific safety functions, such as evacuation leaders, boat commanders, fire teams, and lifeboat launching teams, regularly conduct simulated emergency training drills.

About Oceania Cruises: Oceania Cruises® offers unrivaled cuisine, luxurious accommodations, exceptional personalized service and extraordinary value. Award-winning itineraries visit more than 330 ports in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and the Americas aboard the 684-guest Regatta, Insignia, and Nautica. The line’s 1,250-guest Marina debuted in January 2011 and will be followed by Riviera, a sister ship, in spring 2012.

About Regent Seven Seas Cruises: Regent Seven Seas Cruises is the world’s most inclusive luxury cruise line. Fares include all-suite accommodations, round-trip air, highly personalized service, acclaimed cuisine, fine wines and spirits, sightseeing excursions in every port, a pre-cruise luxury hotel package and gratuities. Three award-winning, all-suite vessels, Seven Seas Navigator, Seven Seas Mariner, and Seven Seas Voyager, are among the most spacious at sea and visit more than 300 destinations around the globe.

About Prestige Cruise Holdings: Prestige Cruise Holdings (PCH) is the parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Formed in 2007 to manage select assets in Apollo Management's cruise investment portfolio, PCH is led by Chairman & CEO Frank J. Del Rio and President & COO Kunal S. Kamlani. PCH is the market leader in the upper-premium and luxury segments of the cruise industry with nearly 5,200 berths between the Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, a number the company expects will grow to approximately 6,400 berths this year.