Environmental Business Review: Specials Magazine

They say the measure of a voyage isn’t just where it takes you, but how safely you arrive. At sea, safety reaches beyond navigation accuracy or lifeboats, encompassing the well-being of people at every level. Cruise ships and ferries are floating cities where food, water, and sanitation systems must work flawlessly. In such tight quarters, even small lapses and seemingly minor errors can spiral into a public health nightmare. For the past decade or more, cruise operators have faced rising crew turnover, tougher standards, and emerging public health threats in addition to norovirus and legionella. For some, the pressure has already hit home. Last winter, a cruise ship pulled into port with a failing public health – sanitation score, putting both its reputation and revenue at risk. Yet just weeks later, the same vessel achieved a dramatic turnaround in compliance. Inspectors returned to find compliance restored, what one industry leader called a “rabbit out of the hat” recovery. The difference came from rolling up sleeves, with boots-on-deck training, clear-eyed audits, and a deep cultural reset among the crew. Orchestrating the dramatic turnaround was A.L. Skinner Consulting, an environmental public health consulting firm founded by former Health Canada / Public Health Agency of Canada Environmental Health Officer - Angus (Gus) Skinner. Skinner had a very clear yet daunting objective to keep passengers and crew safe, help operators stay compliant, and support a positive guest experience. With over two decades of frontline regulatory experience and a career spent training the very inspectors who enforce these standards, Skinner brings cruise and ferry industry insider expertise on what regulators look for. He embeds compliance in a way that works across diverse, multinational crews, backed by practical, field-tested strategies that actually stick. Skinner’s approach is “people-first”: giving crews the skills and confidence to protect every guest on board. It’s this mix of rigor and real-world insight that makes A.L. Skinner Consulting a trusted partner in tailored audits, practical guidance, and public health services across the maritime industry, safeguarding compliance and reputation. Today, the firm provides a full range of public health services to the maritime industry, helping operators identify and mitigate risks to protect passengers and crew alike from foodborne illness, waterborne illness, and many other chemical, biological and physical health hazards. “I don’t believe in death by PowerPoint,” says Skinner. “Slides don’t change behavior. Real progress happens in the galley or on deck, working with the crew, asking questions, listening, and breaking down barriers. When teams understand not just what to do but why it matters, compliance stops being a box-ticking exercise and becomes part of daily public health culture.”