A leading US maritime and cruise lawyer says that last December, he wrote an article about the alleged practice of certain cruise lines which hide dirty pots and pans and cooking equipment from US health inspectors.

The article, which focused on the MSC Poesia, was entitled "Hide & Seek" - Cruise Lines Play Games With USPH Inspectors and he says that after he published that article, several former crew members from Silversea Cruises left comments alleging that the Silver Shadow also played "hide and seek," concealing food and galley items in crew hallways and cabins, away from the sanitation inspectors in the galley, according to Jim Walker of Walker & O'Neill Maritime Lawyers.

He says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) conducted a surprise inspection of the Silver Shadow on June 17th while it was in a port in Skagway, Alaska and the inspectors found the food and galley equipment in crew quarters as described by the former Silversea ship employees, with the CDC failing the vessel, issuing a score of 84. 

The inspection occurred after former Silversea Cruises' crew members contacted Mr Walker’s office and, in turn complained to the CDC about allegedly disgusting conditions aboard the Silver Shadow cruise ship, with crew members complaining that the cruise line forced the crew to hide food, cooking utensils, cutlery, and pots and pans in their cabins to avoid detection by US health inspectors.

Crew members aboard the Silver Shadow allege that were forced to store raw meat, salami, fish, cakes, and every kind of culinary preparations in their cabins and remote hallways to avoid inspections by the US Public Health (USPH), with the crew members claiming that they had to sleep with the food and galley items in cabins with no windows or operational air conditioning.

According to crew members, some spoilable food items were also allegedly kept out of the refrigerator in cabins and hallways but were served the following day to the cruise passengers. 

Other complaints included the alleged use of out of date ingredients which were served to the guests, according to the former crew members and the crew also complained that they were forced to hide food infested by flies and insects in cabins where the toilet flush was out of order for days.

Mr Walker says that he received photographs from the crew members which they state were also sent to the CDC and you can view the photographs by visiting .

An epidemiologist at the CDC thanked the crew members for the information, writing, "The pictures and information you provided were very accurate and reflected what was seen and experienced by the inspectors yesterday on the ship . . . Thank you for passing along all of this information and protecting the health of passengers and crew on the ship. We appreciate your help!"  

Although the failed inspection occurred a month ago, the CDC has still not posted the failed score or its report of the inspection on its internet site.  

One former crew member also alleged that the crew on the Silver Shadow were forced to use tap water to top off expensive bottled water, with these claims similar to the allegations in a lawsuit filed by a Silversea crew member, aboard the Silver Spirit and Silver Wind in 2011 that his employment as a bartender was terminated after he complained that crew members were required to fill expensive, premium top-shelf brand liquor bottles with cheaper brands and to fill empty expensive French champagne bottles with cheaper Italian sparkling wines.  The case is Marin Asenov v. Silversea Cruises, .. 

The Silver Shadow  has always scored high on the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program, with its scores having ranged from 92 to 99 out of 100 since 2000, but Mr Walker says that this latest news brings into question whether the Silver Shadow's high scores over the years may have been a result of the cruise line playing hide and seek with the sanitation inspectors at the USPH.

Mr Walker says he contacted Silversea Cruises and asked for the cruise line's comments about the failed inspection, but has not received a response, but on July 17, 2013 Silversea Cruises issued this PR statement: -

Silvessea Cruises Statement

On June 17, Silversea’s Silver Shadow received an a typical score of 84 during the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) inspection in Skagway.

Silver Shadow has scored in the high 90s on its previous VSP inspections where the maximum achievable score is 100.

Silversea is deeply disappointed by this specific and only unsatisfactory score and has taken immediate measures to address the issues identified in the inspection report.

The company takes very seriously its responsibility to maintain the highest standards in all areas of its operations.

Silversea has an excellent track record when it comes to sanitation, which can be verified on the CDC's website.

Silversea ships have achieved perfect scores of 100 on several VSP inspections, including Silver Spirit's most recent inspection in April, which is testament to the company's commitment in this area.

Following a thorough review of Silver Shadow's procedures, we have taken the necessary measures to ensure that the standards are the best in the industry. 

All Silversea ships have comprehensive policies and rigorous training programs in place to make certain its staff and crew implement best practices to ensure shipboard safety.

Silversea is sincerely sorry for the shortcomings in Silver Shadow's evaluation and is committed to ensuring that future inspections result in higher scores in line with the usual Silversea standards.