The Italian cruise line Costa Cruises plans to use the cruise ship Costa Mediterranea to return the Indonesian and Filipino crew back home. The ship will embark on a one month voyage from Itlay to the Far East with a final stop the port of Shanghai. Before setting sail on this long journey Costa Mediterannea will stop in La Spezia to diembark European crew and pick up the Filipino and Indonesian crew from the cruise ship Costa Pacifica.

Following the plans by P&O Australia and Royal Caribbean to set sail from Australia and bring the crew home, Carnival Cruise Line is preparing to do the same with the two Australia based ships Carnival Splendor and Carnival Spirit.

The German cruise line AIDA Cruises has announced the plan for their crew members currently on board the ships. Due to the longer time out of operation, the company will start to repatriate as many as possible non-essential crew back home. The crew who will be sent home earlier than one month before the contract expires will receive full payment until disembarkation, plus two additional monthly basic salaries.

After the order by the NSW Police all cruise ships to leave Australian waters and return to their home ports, P&O Australia has decided its cruise ships will set sail to the Philippines and Indonesia to bring their crew members back home. The company primary focus right now is the common safety of all the crew and to get as many of the crew home as soon as possible.

Dear Friends, with deep sorrow we would like to inform you that a fellow crew member who tested positive for the novel coronavirus has passed away.

Our hearts are saddened of the passing of the Costa Favolosa security officer Andrew Fernandes, age 48, from Mumbai, India.

Several crew members onboard the cruise ship Pullmantur Horizon have told Crew Center they are stressed and afraid about their colleagues suffering from the COVID-19 virus. The crew reported that the virus is spreading rapidly and according to the latest message we received on April 4, some 150 people out of 250 onboard have tested positive.

Carnival Australia President Sture Myrmell has come out in strong defence of the cruise industry after Australian authorities announced restrictions on foreign-flag cruise ships, basically saying they are not welcomed.

Viking Cruises, one of the world’s fastest-growing luxury cruise lines announced a quite generous financial compensation for its crew amid the global coronavirus crisis. in order to ensure the Viking employees continue to receive salary for the following months, the company has presented the crew of their ocean cruise ships with the following plan which will be in effect starting April 1.

Royal Caribbean has decided to use its own ships in Australia to repatriate Indonesian, Filipino, Chinese and Indian crew members to their countries. Three Royal Caribbean cruise ships based in Australia will embark to Asia very soon in order to return most of the crew back home.

Two Royal Caribbean crew members from the cruise ship Liberty of the Seas have tested positive for COVID-19. This was confirmed by Rodger Rees executive director at Port of Galveston, who said the port authorities were notified that two Liberty of the Seas crew members were screened and tested positive for COVID-19.