OAKLAND, Calif., March 9 (Reuters) – The cruise ship Grand Princess, barred last week from returning to its home port of San Francisco and facing quarantine due to a coronavirus outbreak on board, arrived at a temporary berth on Monday in the nearby Port of Oakland to the cheers of its passengers.
The 2,400 cruise guests, who have been largely confined to their staterooms since Thursday, are to begin disembarking on Monday for transport to healthcare facilities or quarantine stations, depending on whether they need immediate medical attention.
Except for those with acute illness, the 1,100 crew members are to remain aboard the vessel, which will depart the Port of Oakland as soon as possible to be quarantined for two weeks in an as-yet undisclosed location outside San Francisco Bay, officials said.
Video footage shot by one of the arriving cruise guests and shared with Reuters showed passengers cheering from their stateroom balconies and open windows, some shouting, “We’re home!” as the vessel passed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge into the bay.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Sunday the U.S. government was arranging to repatriate foreign cruise passengers by charter flights to their home countries.
He said those individuals would be ferried on special buses to a non-commercial terminal at Oakland International Airport to board planes from the tarmac to avoid contact with the public.
The Port of Oakland, located across San Francisco Bay from the vessel’s home berth, was chosen because it was one of few in the region able to accommodate a large cruise liner and was deemed relatively easy to seal off while passengers are unloaded and moved elsewhere, Newsom said.
The temporary berth was prepared on a secured 10-acre site in the outer harbor area for the ship’s arrival. (Reporting by Nathan Frandino in Oakland, California; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles Editing by Leslie Adler and Sonya Hepinstall)
(Bloomberg) — Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion has entered a new phase, pitting homegrown drone technology against a 2,000 kilometer (1,200 mile) swathe of largely Soviet-era oil facilities. At least...
March 19 (Reuters) – Tanker company Euronav will exit Belgium’s blue-chip Bel-20 index after just two days of trading, as it no longer meets the membership conditions after its takeover by Compagnie Maritime...
MOSCOW, March 19 (Reuters) – The new head of Russia’s Navy was formally presented in his new role for the first time on Tuesday at a pomp-filled ceremony, the state RIA news agency reported,...
March 19, 2024
Total Views: 2483
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.