South Africa is holding the cruise liner AIDAMIRA after a crew member that had been on a flight with a fellow crew member and six passengers who boarded the cruise liner showed signs of the new coronavirus, national ports operator Transnet said on Tuesday 17th March, 2020.
On Sunday 15th March, 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster and implemented urgent measures including travel bans to fight the pandemic, which has so far affected 62 people in South Africa.
Countries around the world have barred cruise liners from entering their ports, fearful the large ships could fuel the spread of coronavirus similar to the DIAMOND PRINCESS which was quarantined in Yokohama, near Tokyo, last February, 3rd. “This is the first suspected case of COVID-19 in a South African sea-port,” state-owned Transnet said in a statement.
The bulker CORONA left Cape Town on March 11th but the ship’s master contacted port authorities requesting to return after the patient started to exhibit symptoms of the virus.
Tugboat PALMIET operating at South Africa ( Image goes back 31st August 2006).
The six passengers aboard the cruise liner AIDAMIRA were quarantined as a precautionary measure for further medical checks, although they did not exhibit any symptoms, Transnet said.
The cruise liner, with 1,240 passengers and 486 crew on board, was on her way back from Namibia’s Walvis Bay. Besides the six, all other passengers and crew remained quarantined on board. AIDAMIRA is one of many cruise liners plying their trade in southern Africa with Cape Town an important stop over.
South African 2004 built 27 metre pilot boat TSITSIKAMMA ( Image goes back 5th April 2007)
Photos by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Thursday 19th March, 2020