A Guardian analysis finds that at least ten ships – carrying nearly 10,000 passengers – remain at sea after their destinations refuse them.
The Zaandam cruise ship, operated by Holland America, has been stranded for days with reportedly 140 cases of respiratory illness on board. Photograph: Claudio Monge/AFP via Getty Images
Ports around the globe are turning cruise ships away en mass amid the corona pandemic, leaving thousands of passengers stranded even as some make desperate pleas for help while sickness spreads aboard.
A Guardian analysis of ship tracking data has found that, as of Thursday, at least ten ships around the world – carrying nearly 10,000 passengers – are still stuck at sea after having been turned away from their destination ports in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of the ships are facing increasingly desperate medical situations, including one carrying hundreds of American, Canadian, Australian and British passengers, currently off the coast of Ecuador and seeking permission to dock in Florida.
The Holland America ship Zaandam, which has been stranded for days after Chile refused to allow the ship to dock in its original designation of San Antonio on 21 March, reportedly has 140 cases of respiratory illness on board, with some passengers needing breathing support.
The ship is steaming up the coast of South America, hoping to make it through the Panama Canal and dock in Florida. But the Florida port, where many of the passengers had planned to disembark on the final leg of the cruise, has refused to confirm that the ship can land.
While the Zaandam and at least two other ships still carrying passengers at sea have reported outbreaks of coronavirus-like respiratory illness onboard, other ships are being turned away from docking and unloading their passengers even with no signs of illness at all.
‘We need help’
Dramatic scenes of coronavirus-stricken cruises, such as the Grand Princess in California and the Diamond Princess in Japan, have become synonymous with the pandemic. The plight of those still adrift highlights how cruise ships have become a kind of pariah of the seas, as cities push back against becoming the next home for a potentially infected vessel.
Passengers who spoke with the Guardian describe being locked down in the cabins, with three daily meals left on the floor outside their doors. Meanwhile, the number of people reporting influenza-like symptoms has almost tripled this week: 56 passengers and 89 crew members, passengers say the ship’s captain has told them. Four elderly passengers reportedly required oxygen.
'Stranded at sea': cruise ships around the world are adrift as ports turn them away
Yooo, this is a nightmare.
Will supplies last? These ships ain't built for people requiring ventilators.
