Coronavirus-Hit Cruise Ship Zaandam To Start Moving Toward Florida Soon - Operator

Coronavirus-Hit Cruise Ship Zaandam to Start Moving Toward Florida Soon - Operator

The coronavirus-stricken Zaandam cruise ship, stuck off Panama's Pacific coast with about 1,800 people aboard, will soon start moving toward Florida to bring its passengers and crew home, Holland America Line President Orlando Ashford said on Monday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th March, 2020) The coronavirus-stricken Zaandam cruise ship, stuck off Panama's Pacific coast with about 1,800 people aboard, will soon start moving toward Florida to bring its passengers and crew home, Holland America Line President Orlando Ashford said on Monday.

On Sunday, the Panamanian authorities gave permission for the liner, set for a South America tour, to pass through the Panama Canal. However, given that dozens of people on board had been infected with the coronavirus, no passengers or crew members would be allowed to go ashore. Early last week, they authorized a ship-to-ship transfer of medical staff and supplies from the Rotterdam, another vessel owned by Holland America sent to help those infected on Zaandam.

"We recently received confirmation from the Panamanian government that both ships [Zaandam and Rotterdam] have been allowed access to the Panama Canal, so that we can make our way east, toward Florida ... I am thanking the Panamanian government for their support in allowing us this passage, so that we can get our guests and our crew back towards safety and back towards their journey home," Ashford said in a address posted to the company's Twitter.

The president added that further details, including the exact time of departure of the vessel, would be provided later.

The Zaandam, which left the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires on March 7, has been in the territorial waters of Panama since being denied entry at several ports in Latin America. The Rotterdam, which departed from the US city of San Diego, delivered supplies, medical personnel and test kits to the liner. The company said it intended to send healthy passengers to the Rotterdam after undergoing analyzes. So far, four passengers of the Zaandam liner have died from COVID-19.