Cleaning should be considered essential marine service

Mar 27, 2020 by Guest Writer

By Russ Erickson

As shipyards and marinas across South Florida and globally make the tough decision on what constitutes essential vs. non-essential services, I would like to encourage the industry to consider that cleaning and sanitizing the living spaces of our onboard yacht crew is essential. 

Yes, boats need their engines and systems to work for the safety of the vessel. Likewise, for the safety of the crew, boats also need services like the ones we provide at Interior Technology Services. We provide all fabric care aboard a yacht and use an EPA-approved antimicrobial product that claims to kill 99.9% of “all known bacteria and viruses”. We can do the cleaning either onboard or at our air-conditioned warehouse to minimize our time onboard.

We take the pandemic seriously and have implemented health and safety procedures to assure the health of both our employees and customers. Every morning, our employees’ temperatures are checked. Anyone with a fever is sent home. Every morning, all truck interiors are sanitized. Every evening, all equipment is sanitized. And all employees wear gloves whenever onboard.

Our crew have been trained to work safely in these challenging times, and yachts are asking for our services. I respectfully ask the shipyards and marinas to allow us to do what we are trained to do so we can get back to work.

Russ Erickson is president of Interior Technology Services in South Florida. Comments are welcome below.

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