I have received a message from MSC Cruises crew member saying that the onboard security officers are confiscating the sauce SAMBAL from the Indonesian crew. Allegedly the sign-on crew which has brought sambal from back home are not allowed to bring it on the ship and security takes the sauce. Now you will say it’s not a big deal and why bother to write about it. Well, that’s not all. Instead of destroying the so-called forbidden item, MSC Cruises security uses it as a bargaining item and gives it to the Indonesian crew from Bar and Laundry Departments in return to get free drinks and free laundry, the crew member says. 

When I ask the crew member why they take this item he says “The reason is sanitation...But they take from us... and they give to laundry and bar. All MSC ships is almost like this. Depend on who the security check. If they take our sambal and destroy it its okay. But they take n give to bar, to get free drink. N free wash for laundry”

Another MSC Cruises crewmember says that the ships onboard security have absolute authority and that not even the Captain or the Staff Captain can do anything about it.

Another MSC Cruises crewmember says that dry food such as biscuits, cereals, noodles, instant soups, and juice crew can bring it onboard. But it’s difficult to bring even this kind of foods is you are not Ok with the security staff. He adds that onboard security has absolute authority and that not even the Captain or the Staff Captain can do anything about it.