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April 4 updates: Apex cases climb, two deaths on Coral Princess before it reached Miami, Australian homeported ships move outside territorial waters, Greg Mortimer stuckApril 4 updates: Apex cases climb, two deaths on Coral Princess before it reached Miami, Australian homeported ships move outside territorial waters, Greg Mortimer stuck

In addition to feature story coverage, here's a quick read of some of today’s other coronavirus-related cruise news and announcements.

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Helen Hutcheon, Anne Kaloshand 1 more

April 4, 2020

3 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Keep checking back. This is being continuously updated.

Celebrity Apex cases rise, some healthy crew sent home

There were about 1,400 crew aboard Celebrity Apex when the first COVID-19 cases were detected. The number reached 157 on Tuesday, according to the regional health agency, and testing is ongoing.

Until Friday, 400 to 500 healthy crew had left the ship and been transferred to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, in accordance with parent company Royal Caribbean's commitment to repatriate them. That leaves about 1,000 on board but some won't be able to leave because of border closures. And about 200 crew will be needed to maintain the ship.

Two deaths on Coral Princess, ship docked at Miami

Two passengers aboard Coral Princess died en route to Florida, where the ship docked at PortMiami — not Port Everglades, as planned — Saturday morning. Four critically ill passengers (three Americans and an Australian)  are going to hospitals ashore, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

'Some people were dying on that ship and we needed to get them here as fast as possible,' Gimenez said of the late Friday night decision to accept Coral Princess. 'We have capacity here in Miami-Dade. If that changes, we will have to make some decisions.'

Coral Princess is carrying 1,020 passengers, 993 deemed — as of Friday night — fit to travel, and 27 not, and 878 crew, 38 with flu-like symptoms. Those with symptoms will not be allowed ashore but will remain on the ship untll they recover.

The fit-to-travel passengers are being screened and will go by motor coaches to the airport for charter flights or to a separate terminal area and then on commercial flights. All must wear masks and isolate for 14 days at home. Disembarkation is expected to take two to three days.

Australian homeported ships move outside territorial waters

Following the NSW Police order on Thursday for P&O Cruises Australia’s homeported Pacific Explorer to leave Australia, the ship sailed Friday to anchor off territorial waters to await further instructions. 

Sun Princess also ordered to leave

Although no one at Carnival Australia was available for comment, Seatrade Cruise News understands that Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess was also ordered to leave.

Others go voluntarily

Furthermore, it is understood the company's other six homeported ships have left or are leaving voluntarily. They are P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria, Princess Cruises’ Sapphire Princess and Sea Princess and Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Spirit and Carnival Splendor.

It is understood there are plans to repatriate the crews with chartered flights.

Greg Mortimer stuck off Montevideo

The 126-passenger Greg Mortimer, operated by Australia’s Aurora Expeditions, is still off Uruguay waiting for permission to dock at Montevideo. 

The ship departed Ushuaia on March 15 for a 21-day round ‘South Georgia and Antarctic Odyssey’ voyage before the Australian government moved to ban people from travelling overseas.

She has since been sitting off Uruguay for almost two weeks with fears of a coronavirus outbreak on board. According to an SBS (Special Broadcasting Service) report, one passenger was confirmed with COVID-19 and others have developed symptoms, including the ship’s doctor and at least three crew members.

In a letter to the 96 Australians on board, Aurora MD Robert Halfpenny said the passenger with COVID-19 was in a ‘critically ill condition,’ but receiving the ‘best care possible’ in an Uruguayan hospital. ‘We and the governments working with us must find a way to get you off the ship as soon as possible,’ Halfpenny said.

Explorer Dream off Malaysia

Dream Cruises’ Explorer Dream, which recently completed an inaugural season in Australasia, is off Malaysia.

As reported here, the company has announced the ship will not operate a second season in Australia and New Zealand as planned between October and February 2021.

Dream Cruises said there are no immediate plans for the future, but it will be back.

About the Authors

Helen Hutcheon

Australasia correspondent

Helen Hutcheon did her cadetship on a shipping magazine and worked in P&O’s Sydney office for seven years as a public relations journalist.

For 19 years she was deputy editor of Travel Week, which was Australia’s leading trade newspaper that covered major local and international industry events.

In 2008 the late legendary Rama Rebbapragada presented her with an award from Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd ‘in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the cruising industry.’

In 2010 she won the Neil Frazer Award for ‘outstanding contribution to the cruise industry,’ elevating her to CLIA Australasia’s hall of fame.

She has been the Australasia correspondent for Seatrade Cruise Review since 1997 and for Seatrade Insider (now Seatrade Cruise News) since its launch in 2000.

 

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

Michèle Valandina

French correspondent

A graduate from Lyon University, where she specialised in foreign languages and American literature, Michèle worked as an interpreter/translator (English, German and Italian) for major international events before entering the diplomatic world for a few years. As a Paris-based freelance travel and lifestyle writer, she has been a contributor to a host of publications and has long specialised in two sectors: cruising and wellness. Her features have appeared in, among others, Le Monde, Le Figaro, Le Figaro Magazine, Les Echos Week-end and periodicals dedicated to the MICE sector. She has also featured on radio and TV travel programmes and, since 1992, has been the author of the only French cruise guide, Croisières Passion.

 

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