b'1.Thefirstexceptionisaclearandextremes, are thankfully few. apparenthealthconditionthatprevents mask usage.It can be extremely difficult2.Thesecondexception,alsolikely for crewmembers to apply this exemption,infrequent,istheclaimofreligious-based usuallyreceivedwithaclaimthattheobjection to the partial face covering.This maskcausestroublebreathingduetoaConstitutional-based objection has traction. respiratory condition, which is worsenedAgainandwithnoclearlitmustestto by restricted air flow. Examples may belungdeterminethetruthofareligious-claimed disease or sinus issues. While the extremesexemption,on-sitecrews,armedwith may be obvious, clearly healthy teenagersnothing but good judgment, will be forced to or wheezing octogenarians boarding withdetermine if a claim is legitimate.oxygen, there is no magic formula that can be offered for all the conditions betweenEvenifapassengerclaimsanexemption the extremes. In reality, passengers whobased upon religion or health, PVAs General presentthisclaim,andarenotattheCounselmaintainsthatthevesselowner Still,asscoresofvesseloperatorssoondiscovered, there was pushback from a small number of vocal customers. In New York City, a video of a belligerent middle-aged couple made national news when they refusedtowearamaskonaNYCFerryinearly September.Other operators have reported to their colleagueswithinthepassengervesselindustryof customers who have either outright refused to wear masks to board a vessel, or immediately remove them upon boarding the vessel and decline to don them during the voyage, which is against posted company policy.Propelling Passenger VesselsMASK REFUSAL RECOURSETaking passenger vessels to new horizons with the The New York City couple, using foul language andfuture-proof technology of Siemens SiSHIP BlueDrive +C aggressive behavior, were escorted off the NYC Ferryand Energy Storage systems.by police who were called to the dock by the ferrys captain. In Southern California, one ferry operator has halted cruises and removed passengers for failureusa.siemens.com/marineto wear face masks per posted policy. To date, this operator has removed close to 200 passengers from ferries for violating their face mask rule.Foghorn_MarchPreview_2020_Ad_4.625x3.5.indd 1 2/17/2020 10:58:41 AMNot all PVA members feel comfortable with taking5217-CTC Whale Watching Boatsuch a hard line, however. After all, these are theirCOI 49 Passengerscustomersandwithsocialmedia,cameras,and popularonlinereviewsites,manypassengervessel operatorsarereluctanttoantagonizetheirriders over face masks. Some have found, though, that by not enforcing their posted policies, other customers who do follow the rules are turned off by a lack of perceived respect for their health and safety. Either way, its difficult for vessel operators.CANYOULEGALLYMANDATEMASKS AT YOUR OPERATION?PVAsGeneralCounsel,StevenBers,duringthe pandemichasrepeatedlyfieldedthisquestionon PVAs Legal Hotline.His answer: Vessel owners can absolutelyconditionconveyanceuponcompliance with safety expectations for the protection of other passengersandthecrew,withonlythreepossibleRaising the Standards for Passenger Vesselsexceptions. sales@armstrongmarine.com | (360) 457-5752 | www.armstrongmarine.comNOV 2020 15 FOGHORN FOCUS'