Fred Olsen Cruise Lines said yesterday that MS Braemar, which has at least five confirmed cases of COVID-19, remained at anchor more than 28 hours after it arrived in Bahamian waters.
“We can confirm that there are now 20 guests in isolation having shown influenza-like symptoms,” the company said in a statement.
“There are also 20 crew members who are isolated including a doctor. This includes five people who tested positive for COVID-19 coronavirus at our last port of call, Willemstad, Curaçao, on Tuesday, March 10.
“Two additional doctors and a nurse are en route to The Bahamas today to assist the onboard medical team. One further nurse is already on the ground in The Bahamas and is awaiting clearance from local authorities to board the ship.”
The ship is anchored 25 miles southwest of Freeport, Grand Bahama, according to the company.
“We can confirm that our ship Braemar remains at anchor in The Bahamas where supplies are being shipped across from Freeport,” it said in a statement.
“Our guests and crew have been waiting in the same location since yesterday morning — 25 miles southwest of Freeport — for the go-ahead from Bahamian port authorities to begin moving the supplies.”
According to the statement, the ship’s captain, Jozo Glavic, updated guests onboard yesterday, noting that “all our supplies and medications are at the pier in Freeport”.
The supplies have reportedly been at the Freeport pier since Saturday.
The statement noted the ship was still awaiting “clearance for delivery”, adding that Braemar “will not go anywhere until we have the medical staff on board and these supplies arrive”.
Glavic also told guests onboard the ship, according to the statement, “I can tell you that our situation continues to be looked at as a matter of the utmost urgency between the UK government and our head office.
“Until then, please continue to bear with me and my crew.”
Braemar has been awaiting fuel, food, medicine and other supplies, according to the cruise line.
The ship, which is registered in The Bahamas, was on a 14-day Western Caribbean cruise when four crew members and one guest tested positive for COVID-19.
On Thursday, in a statement, the Bahamas Ministry of Transport and Local Government said the ship “will not be permitted to dock in The Bahamas and passengers and crew will not be allowed to disembark”.
“This decision is based on consideration for the protection of the health and safety of the Bahamian people and residents of The Bahamas,” the statement read.
“The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) has been in constant communication with the owners of the Braemar, which is a Bahamas-flagged ship. The BMA has reaffirmed to the Braemar that should it arrive in Bahamian waters, The Bahamas will do all that it can to provide humanitarian assistance. This may include providing fuel, food, water and other supplies as needed by the vessel.”
One day later, the ministry released another statement reiterating that the ship will not be granted permission to dock in The Bahamas, adding that the British government had requested clearance for two British government personnel to enter The Bahamas by air to provide assistance to the Braemar.
Last night, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis described it as a “difficult decision not to allow the cruise ship” to make port in The Bahamas.
“After giving this matter due consideration, we thought this to be the best in the interest of public health,” the prime minister said during his national address.
“Our maritime authorities were in regular contact with the ship owners and my government was in touch with governments who enquired about the status of their nationals.
“We are a small country. We believe that the ship should call on a port which has the capacity to deal with the Braemar.”
As of yesterday, there have been more than 153,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 110 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
At least 5,700 people have died from the virus globally.
The Bahamas has one confirmed case of COVID-19, according to Acting Health Minister Jeffrey Lloyd.
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source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/03/16/covid-19-ship-remains-anchored-in-bahamian-waters/
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