• shipsanitor com
• April 5, 2025

CDC May Halt Cruise Ship Inspections Amid Staffing Shortages

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) risks discontinuing its cruise ship health inspections under the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) due to insufficient resources, according to multiple industry sources. Recent layoffs within the CDC’s Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice—which oversees the VSP—have left the program without adequate staff to conduct regular inspections of ships docking at U.S. ports .

The VSP, established to enforce public health standards on cruise ships, evaluates vessels semi-annually through unannounced inspections, scoring operations across eight criteria such as sanitation and outbreak prevention . These inspections also track onboard illnesses and respond to outbreaks, with results publicly shared to inform passenger choices. In 2024, 27 ships achieved perfect scores, highlighting the program’s role in promoting transparency .

While the VSP framework remains in place, the recent workforce reductions have crippled its capacity to fulfill its mandate. The CDC has not yet commented on the situation. This development follows the agency’s earlier decision to end its formal COVID-19 cruise program in 2023, though it still issues testing guidance and monitors case reports .

The potential suspension of inspections raises concerns about accountability for health standards in an industry historically scrutinized for onboard illness risks .