MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys say they have become the first cruise lines to receive certification for their diversity and inclusion practices, following a three-year programme covering their offices and ships.
For crew members, the programme concerns an essential part of shipboard life: working and living alongside colleagues with different languages, cultures, beliefs and experiences. It covers company practices affecting recruitment, career development and inclusion at work. MSC’s latest sustainability information says its crew represented more than 135 nationalities in 2025, illustrating the scale of its international workforce.
The certification was presented on October 27 aboard MSC Grandiosa in La Spezia, Italy, with crew members joining representatives from MSC and RINA. Those attending included Magali Bertolucci, Vice President for People Development, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing at MSC Group’s Cruise Division, and Emanuele Castagno, RINA’s Executive Vice President Certification.
“For us, inclusion means valuing these differences and creating a workplace where everyone feels part of the team and can be at their best,” Bertolucci said in the company’s LinkedIn announcement.
The assessment process began in 2023 with a review of where existing practices needed improvement. It continued through consultation, evidence gathering and changes to company processes, with RINA assessing a selection of offices and ships against the guidelines. MSC says the work included new human resources policies covering recruitment, career development and the end of employment, alongside workshops with partners and suppliers.
The company has established a Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee combining employees from across the Cruise Division with external experts. It has also introduced learning programmes for shipboard and shoreside teams to support its approach.
There are wider recruitment goals behind the initiative. MSC says women account for 19.5 percent of onboard crew, compared with 54.9 percent of shoreside employees. Following two recruitment events exclusively for women in 2025, the company set a target for women to represent at least 30 percent of new crew hires in 2026. That figure is a hiring target, rather than a reported result.
MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys’ employee code of conduct also sets out commitments to recruitment and promotion based on merit, prohibits discrimination and harassment, and states that employees who report harassment or participate in an investigation must be protected from retaliation.
RINA describes its ISO 30415 service as an assessment of how organisations implement the diversity and inclusion guidelines. The recognition therefore focuses on organisational practices and management processes.
In its announcement, MSC described the certification as an opportunity to review progress, identify areas needing further improvement and continue making the workplace better for employees at sea and ashore.
