Royal Caribbean is preparing a major plan for the repatriation of thousands of its crew members back to their home countries. In a letter sent to the crew signed by Michael Bayley - President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, the company announced the repatriation of the crew from 60 different countries using cruise ships and charter flights.
A young crew member went overboard from the cruise ship Jewel of the Seas on April 30, while the vessel was off the coast of Greece. According to the Greek media, a search was underway by the ship and the Coast Guard in an attempt to locate the missing crew member. A lifeboat and two Coast Guard vessels were involved in the search, and a Coast Guard aircraft was deployed in the area. Unfortunately the crew member was not located.
P&O will send the cruise ship M/V Ventura to India to repatriate the Indian Crew members. P&O and Cunard will transfer crew from India to M/V Ventura only from the ships that didn’t have any cases of Covid-19.
Several crew members have contacted Crew Center saying that two of their fellow crew members tested positive for COVID-19 on the cruise ship MSC Preziosa. A crew member has send us two recordings of the announcement made on the PA system, the first on April 30 announcing that one crew member tested positive for COVID-19, and the second announcement made today saying that the test results are completed and one more crew member also tested positive for the virus.
Costa Cruises plan to repatriate Filipino and Indonesian crew back home using the cruise ship Costa Mediterranea was delayed for one month. According to a crew member wishing to remain anonymous one of the reasons for this delay is because new captain boarded the ships and needs to undergo 14 days quarantine.
Several crew members have contacted Crew Center today saying that one crew member tested positive for COVID-19 on the German cruise ship Mein Schiff 3. A crew member has also sent us a recording of the announcement made on the PA system informing the crew about the test results. The announcement confirms one positive case among the crew which were tested, also adding that not all the crew was tested, only selected crew which had contacts with many people onboard did the tests.
Once again Royal Caribbean has proven that the company truly cares about the shipboard employees. Even in these difficult times for all, the company decided each crew member to receive a $400 goodwill pay. In a letter distributed among Royal Caribbean crew members who are still aboard the ships the company said the selected crew are entitled to financial support.
Another crew member of the cruise ship Costa Fascinosa has died as a result of complications caused by the Coronavirus. Rudy Haryanto - Assistant Housekeeping Manager from Indonesia has died in a hospital in Santos after testing positive for Covid-19.
Hundreds of birds were discovered dead on a cruise ship open deck by the crew, yesterday morning. A crew member who wishes to remain anonymous recorded a video of the sight which appears as if the birds had dropped down dead from the sky.
The German cruise line Aida Cruises plans to use cruise ships to repatriate crew back home. According to a message send by a crew member the repatriation process will start by transferring the crew on one ship which will then set sail to Europe from where charter flights will be organized for the crew.
