来源：VICE，作者：Dylan Raffaele，原标题：What it’s Like Being on an Empty Cruise Ship During Covid
受访者
对于游轮业而言，COVID-19大流行于3月14日正式开始。那是美国疾病控制与预防中心对所有在美国水域运营的游轮发出“禁止航行”命令的时候。 彼时，数千人在世界各地的各种船舶上被确诊，使整个行业陷入损害控制。 从那时开始，游轮公司逐一暂停业务，使整个行业停滞不前。
For the cruise liner industry, the COVID-19 pandemic officially began on March 14. That’s when the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a “no sail” order on all cruise ships operating in US waters. At that point thousands of people were falling ill on various ships around the world, pitching the industry into damage control. From there, individual companies suspended cruises one by one, putting the industry on hold.
现在，六个月过去了，尽管经历了几次失败的恢复，但游轮业仍处于深度冻结状态。实际上，这意味着数百艘船停泊在世界各地的港口上，并由少量人员来保持其清洁和适航。
Now, six months later, and despite staging a few unsuccessful comebacks, the cruise industry remains in deep freeze. In practical terms, that means hundreds of ships parked throughout the world’s ports, crewed by a handful of people to keep them clean and seaworthy.
今天我们要采访的游轮叫“海洋赞礼号”，这是南半球最大的游轮。目前，它与其他数十艘船一起停泊在新加坡。 VICE News在这里采访了该船目前的主要船员，他们负责维护该船的视听系统。
One such ship is the Ovation of the Seas, which is the largest cruise ship based in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s currently moored in Singapore, along with dozens of others. And it’s here that VICE News spoke to a member of the ship’s skeleton crew, employed to maintain the vessel’s extensive audio visual system.
“海洋赞礼号”游轮，长348米，宽49米，18层甲板，最多容纳4905名乘客及1500名船员。
我们与一名叫马特（他要求匿名）的人进行了交谈，目前该船上只有99名船员。马特（Matt）描述了在一天中的大部分时间里独自一人的情况，以及从内部人士的角度来看行业的发展状况。
We spoke to a man we'll call Matt (he requested anonymity) about what it’s like being one of 99 people onboard a stationary cruise ship designed for 6,000. Matt describes being alone for most of the day and how the industry is faring from an insider perspective.
VICE：您能告诉我们您的职务吗？
马特：现在，我是“海洋赞礼号”的永久首席视频技术员。这是一艘皇家加勒比国际游轮公司拥有的量子级豪华游轮。该船正常时大约有4,500名乘客和1,500名船员，但目前只有99名船员。在正常航行期间，我管理和制作视频内容，但现在我负责整个娱乐部门的工作。
VICE: Can you tell us about your role?
Matt: Right now, I’m the permanent head video technician on Ovation of the Seas. It’s a Quantum-class ship owned by Royal Caribbean International. When the ship is in service, we have about 4,500 guests and 1,500 crew members but at the moment, we have just 99 crew members. During normal service I manage and produce video content, but now I’m working as the entire cruise/entertainment division.
告诉我们您现在的位置。
我们在新加坡近海，这里只能说是我见过的最大的停船地。我的合同期限是到明年2月，我不确定在那之前是否会下地。截至目前，我们已经被告知不要对下地抱有期望。
Tell us about where you are at the moment.
I’m offshore of Singapore in what I can only describe as the biggest ship parking lot I’ve ever seen. My contract is through February of next year and I’m not sure if I’ll touch dry land before then. As of now, we’ve been told not to expect that.
在几乎是空的游轮上感觉如何？
不真实。这艘船建造目的是要容纳数千人，我在这艘船上度过了很多年。但是现在在船上走一走，你会感觉这艘船毫无生气，空荡荡的。它处于停滞状态，它在等待这个世界慢慢恢复，然后它也可以回到正轨。现在，一切都关闭了，灯是熄着的，家具是盖着的。这是一艘鬼船。
How does it feel to be on an almost empty cruise liner?
It’s surreal. This ship was built to host thousands of people and I’ve spent years on this ship experiencing it as it was designed. But walking around now, the ship feels lifeless and empty. It’s in stasis waiting for the world to sort itself out so it can go back to what it’s designed to do. Everything is shut down, lights are off, furniture is covered up. It’s a ghost ship.
“海洋赞礼号”上的台球厅
“海洋赞礼号”上的电影院
有点像在电影《闪灵》中吗？
这实际上很有趣，因为我是船上广播技术人员，我的工作室里有一个摄像稳定器，我每天都拿着它四处走动进行摄影，拍一些视频进行存档，拍摄的时候，我感觉就像在恐怖电影中似的，或者像是我被遗弃在一艘宇宙飞船上。实际上，几周前，我在游泳池旁的电影院向船员放映了电影《太空旅客》（美国2016年的科幻片，该片讲述了五千名太空旅客乘坐阿瓦隆号飞船去往另一个星球开始新的生活，不料在途中飞船遭遇意外，旅客们将面对飞船即将崩溃的危险。），我们都自嘲说我们现在的处境就像电影中一样。像克里斯·普拉特（电影《太空旅客》中的男演员）一样，我在篮球方面也变得非常擅长，每天在空荡荡的体育馆里打篮球。我已经从罚篮10个进1个，进步到了罚10进7，但是至今还没有10个全中过。我相信最终会发生。
Is it kind of like being in “The Shining”?
That’s actually funny because I’m the onboard broadcast technician and we have a steadicam in my studio. So, I’ve been walking around with it every day getting archival footage of the ship and it feels like I’m in a horror movie or like I’ve been abandoned on a spaceship. I actually showed the movie “Passengers” to the crew up by the pool a few weeks ago and we all caught the irony of showing something like that on here. Like Chris Pratt, I’m getting pretty good at basketball, shooting hoops every day in the empty gymnasium. I’ve gone from sinking 1 out of 10 free throws to about 7 out of 10. Still haven’t gotten a 10 out of 10 streak yet. I’m confident it’ll happen eventually.
“海洋赞礼号”上的篮球场
您每天都在做什么？有足够的工作让您忙起来？还是您会感到无聊？
我一点也不觉得无聊。我的部门平常有150名员工，但是现在只有我来处理所有文书工作和检查工作。这是一项繁重的工作，需要将船保持良好状态以便随时使其重新投入使用。另外，由于几乎没有社交活动，所以工作基本上占去了我所有的时间。我来这里已经一个多月了，感觉就像刚到这里一样。
What do you do everyday? Is there enough work to keep you busy or do you get bored?
I’m not really ever bored. My department usually has about 150 people but now it’s just me to deal with all the paperwork and inspections. It’s an overwhelming amount of work keeping the ship in the kind of condition it needs to stay in so it can go back into service. Plus, since there is very little to do socially the work basically takes all my time. I’ve been here over a month and it feels like I just got here.
“海洋赞礼号”上的观景台
你自己工作会感觉紧张不安吗？
不会。我们都接受过安全/紧急职责方面的培训，游轮公司很清楚谁该留下来，每个在这里的人都是有原因的。但是，曾经能容纳数千人的游轮公共场所现在变得空空如也，那种感觉怪怪的。不过，这也带来了一些有趣的时刻。昨天，我洗完了衣服，拿着洗衣袋，穿着我的普通衣服穿过乘客区，那种感觉非常奇怪。
Do you ever get nervous working alone?
No. We’re all trained in our safety/emergency duties and they’ve been pretty smart about who’s stayed behind—every person is here for a reason. But it is strange seeing public spaces that are used to hosting thousands of people all empty. It’s also led to some funny moments. Yesterday, I did my laundry and I walked through the guest areas in my regular clothes, with my laundry bag. It felt pretty strange to be walking through such fancy areas with my washing.
“海洋赞礼号”乘客区的走廊
您与其他人互动还是每个人都很孤立？
我的工作通常都是一个人，因此即使情况正常，我通常也不会见很多人。现在，我只在早餐、午餐和晚餐时能看到人；除此以外，我很少见到人。就是个鬼船！这绝对是一种新的生活方式。
Do you interact with other people or is everyone pretty isolated?
My job is typically pretty solitary, so I usually don’t see a lot of people even when things are normal. Right now though I only see people at breakfast, lunch and dinner; I rarely see anyone outside of those times. It’s absolutely a ghost ship. It’s definitely a new way of living.
“海洋赞礼号”一角
在船上，孤独感会有所放大。我一直在游泳池旁的工作室制作视频，并尽我所能为船员录制视频片段。有时，我也客串一把DJ，纯粹是为了好玩。每个周末，我都会在录播室录制一个2小时的现场直播，并在船上的电视频道中播放，供船员在自己的房间观看。船员们打电话给我，点歌让我播放，跟我聊天，这很好玩。
Being on a ship kinda amplifies the sense of isolation. I’ve been programming movies up by the pool and recording video segments for crew as much as I can. I DJ for fun and every weekend I record a two hour live set from the broadcast room and broadcast it on a TV channel for the crew in their cabins. People phone in and request songs and talk to me there, so that’s kind of fun.
整个世界正遭受着疫情带来的巨大的心理健康影响。那么您在这样的一艘空船上是如何从心理上照顾自己的？
我们都很幸运，因为我们还有工作。我们有事做，这样可以使我们集中精力并摆脱抑郁。船员的旅行正在开放，任何想回家的人都可以。为了保持健康，我去健身房、在跑道上跑步、打篮球。我也每天和我的女朋友在线聊天。现在我们可以免费上网，这对于我们来说是奢侈的，因为平常我们不能免费上网。我真的希望疫情结束后仍然可以免费上网，它确实有助于船员与家人们保持联系。公司还为有需要的船员提供心理健康支持，说实话，我们现在船上所拥有的设施和资源都非常棒。当游轮正常运行时，等级制度可能会非常僵化，但是现在所有人都在一起。每个人都是平等的。
The world in general is experiencing a pretty big mental health fallout from the pandemic. What are you doing to look after yourself on an empty ship?
We’re all lucky here because we all still have our jobs. We have that to keep us focused and distracted from depression. Travel for crew is opening up and anyone who wants to go home pretty much can. As far as keeping healthy, I go to the gym, run laps on the track, and play basketball. I also talk to my girlfriend online every day. We have free internet and that’s a luxury we usually don’t have. I really hope that’s something that stays after this is all over. It really helps the crew to be able to stay in touch with people back home. The company has also provided resources for crew members who need to talk about mental health issues and, honestly, the onboard family we have right now is extremely supportive. When ships are in service the hierarchy can be pretty rigid, but everyone is now in this together. Everyone is an equal.
“海洋赞礼号”上一角
疫情对游轮业产生了相当大的影响，那么疫情具体给您带来了什么影响呢？
是的，病毒改变了世界。每当我与1925年出生的祖父交谈时，他总是说这是他一生中最糟糕的事情。它影响到了所有人。游轮业受到了很大的影响，但是皇家加勒比公司的财务实力确实很强，我们的客人也很忠诚。他们已经提前几年预订了游轮，他们都希望我们能回来。
COVID-19 has had a pretty drastic impact on the cruise industry. Tell me how that’s played out for you.
Yeah, it’s changed the world. Whenever I talk to my grandfather, who was born in 1925, he constantly says that it’s the worst thing that’s happened in his lifetime. It’s affected everyone. The cruise industry has been massively affected by this but my company is really strong financially and our guests are loyal. They’ve been booking cruises years in advance and they’re all expecting us to come back.
“海洋赞礼号”一角
您和您的同事是否对工作稳定性感到担忧？
是的，尤其是我娱乐部门的同事。公司将不可避免地要在某个部门进行裁员，而疫情的不断发展也会给游轮业带来改变。老年人只有在能够确保他们健康的前提下才能乘船游览，因此船上的娱乐活动将发生变化，从而更加适应年轻人。这意味着表演风格要多样，大型乐队数量和人数都会减少，表演更有活力等。其实这已经发生了，只不过疫情将加速向更时髦产品的转变。
Is there a sense of worry among your colleagues about job stability?
Yes, and especially my colleagues in the entertainment department. The company will inevitably have to make cuts somewhere and the cruising demographic will also change because of what’s happened. Older people won’t cruise as much until there’s a level of safety that can guarantee their health, so the entertainment will shift to match the younger demographic. This means different styles of shows, less big bands and smaller, more dynamic forms of entertainment. This was already taking place, but COVID-19 will accelerate that shift to a more modern product.
您希望游轮业复苏吗？
是的。喜欢游轮的人都希望游轮业复苏。这是一个群体、一种生活方式和一种激情。我确实认为疫情将改变游轮业的面貌，以及总体上旅行和旅游的面貌，但是我认为这也会带来一些好处。事情会有所不同，但生活总是在继续。
Do you expect the cruise industry to recover?
Yes. The people who cruise love it. It’s a community, a lifestyle and a passion. I do think this will change the face of cruising and of travel and tourism in general, but I think some good will come out of it. Things will be different, but life always goes on.
您的船上有人或您认识的人感染过新冠吗？
当病毒第一次传播时，有一群客人被确诊了。我下船的那天，船上74位客人确诊阳性。不过没有任何船员与确诊病人有接触，此后我们一直是一艘干净的船。我们在收到补给品时非常小心，我们在船上戴上口罩，并且保持距离。对于我们的菲律宾船员来说，取消卡拉OK他们非常不开心，但我们正在尽一切努力确保安全。
Has anybody on your ship or anyone you know contracted COVID?
When the virus was first spreading there was a group of guests who got it. The day I got off the ship 74 guests onboard tested positive for it. No crew onboard ever contracted it and we’ve been a clean ship ever since. We’re very careful when receiving supplies, we wear masks onboard and we practice physical distancing. Cancelling karaoke was pretty unpopular with our Filipino crew members, but we’re doing everything we can to stay safe.