The Grand Princess was forced to make alterations to its schedule after an outbreak of Covid 19. Photo / Noah Berger, AP
The Grand Princess was forced to make alterations to its schedule after an outbreak of Covid 19. Photo / Noah Berger, AP
A 4000 passenger cruise ship has returned to Melbourne after being refused a berth in Newcastle over a reported Covid-19 outbreak onboard.
The Grand Princess arrived in Melbourne this morning with an unknown number of Covid cases, where hundreds of passengers were due to disembark at the end of their sailing.
The ship was turned around at the Port of Newcastle yesterday, after local health officials were advised of a “large number” of positive cases.
The exact number of cases is not known, however as a notifiable disease ships are required to report case numbers to authorities on arrival.
The Herald has approached health authorities in New South Wales and Victoria for details.
However the Hunter New England said that the decision was made following the the testing of passengers prior to disembarkation in Newcastle, when they were “advised there were a large number of COVID-19 cases on board”.
The cruise line said it was symptomatic of a large number of cases in the community.
“Like many other tourism operators, we too have been impacted by the current fourth wave being experienced across Australia,” a Princess Cruises spokesperson told the Newcastle Herald in a statement, following news of the turnaround.
On arrival in the Victorian Ports of Melbourne hundreds of passengers were allowed to disembark. The Herald Sun reported several ambulances meeting the ship, with lights and sirens off.
Some of those disembarking said that passengers who had tested positive for the disease were stuck on-board.
“Part of our group is stuck on-board, and they can’t leave until someone can come and get them privately later in the day,” passenger Barb Clough told the Herald Sun, who had finished her sailing with husband Niele.
At least 95 per cent of guests on Princess Cruises vessels must be vaccinated, with the remaining five per cent reserved for medical exemptions.
The ship left on a round-trip cruise from Melbourne on 17 November, with stops in Sydney, Brisbane and Willis Island.
A spokesperson for Princess Cruises said the ship arrived safely in Melbourne on Thursday morning at the end of their round trip.
“A small percentage of these guests disembarking in Melbourne are currently COVID positive, and these guests continue to disembark safely and will use private transport to return home,” they said.
The ship would be embarking on its next sailing to New Zealand as planned.
The cruise line said that every precaution was taken in planning for an managing cases which arise onboard their ships, adding “it is business as usual for us and our guests.”
Earlier this month Carnival Corporation reintroduced mask wearing rules for passengers sailing though in Australia earlier this month, which includes the Princess, Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line cruise brands.
On Monday, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth ship was denied entry to port in Bali by indonesian authorities due to Covid cases being carried by the vessel.
Following the incident on 28 November, the cruise line said that it would not be pursuing its itinerary around Bali, instead be sailing to Fremantle.
Cunard's Queen Elizabeth in Auckland. The company has had to change the registered home port of its luxury liners from Southampton to Hamilton, Bermuda to get around a British law banning weddings on ocean-going ships. Photo / Natalie Slade
“Unfortunately, due to the ongoing rise in community transmission across Australia and this being reflected on various cruise lines, we’re unable to visit Indonesia at this time,” said a statement from the Cruise line to Australian Cruise Passenger.
“This has followed ongoing conversations with the respective authorities in Bali, and we understand and respect the current circumstances we’re operating in.”
While exact case numbers were not disclosed the government of WA estimated it affected 10 to 15 per cent of the 2000-passenger, 1000-crew member ship.
