10 crew test positive for COVID-19 on first Carnival Corp. ships scheduled to cruise
Ten crew members on German-based ships slated to begin cruises in August have tested positive for COVID-19.
The AIDA-brand cruise ships are owned by Miami-based Carnival Corporation.
The crew members had recently flown to Germany from their home countries in Asia to begin working on the ships, local media reported. After testing negative in their home countries, they then tested negative again in Germany. Shortly after boarding the ships, docked in Rostock, Germany, they tested positive.
Carnival Corp. spokesperson Roger Frizzell said the company does not expect the findings will delay its launch of cruises from Germany on Aug. 5.
“We don’t expect it to create any delays, especially since it showcases the new screening process with our crew members there is working as intended,” he said in an email.
While U.S. health authorities remain focused on curbing ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks among crews on cruise ships in U.S. waters, the cities of Hamburg, Kiel and Rostock, Germany, have given the industry the go-ahead to restart sailings. AIDA Cruises plans to begin cruises from those ports at less than 50% capacity starting Aug. 5. Passengers will stay on the ships during the entire cruise rather than disembarking for shore visits.
On Aug. 5, the 3,400-passenger AIDAperla ship will leave from Hamburg. On Aug. 12, the 2,686-passenger AIDAmar will leave from Rostock. On Aug. 16, the 2,500-passenger AIDAblu will leave from Kiel.
On Wednesday, the company flew 750 workers from the Philippines and Indonesia to Rostock to join the ships before the cruises begin, according to local media. Ten crew members on the AIDAmar and AIDAblu ships tested positive. The ill crew members are isolated in individual cabins and will be tested again, along with all other recently arrived crew members, Frizzell said.
About 3,000 crew members are still stuck on Carnival Corp. ships waiting to be repatriated since the industry shut down on March 13, according to a company court filing from Thursday. Crew repatriation from ships throughout the industry has been complicated by complex and oft-changing rules in crew members’ home countries and international transit points.
TUI Cruises, partly owned by Royal Caribbean Group, launched its first port-less cruise from Hamburg July 24 with its 2,900-passenger Mein Schiff 2. The company had planned to launch its Mein Schiff 1 ship from Kiel on July 31, but had to push it back to August citing difficulty flying in crew, according to local media. TUI Cruises did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 6:13 PM.
