14 infected crew aboard RCCL vessel off Coco Cay

As of Monday, March 30, 2020

Tourism and Aviation Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar.

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

ROYAL Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas is anchored off the coast of Great Harbour Cay with 14 crew members positive for COVID-19, Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar confirmed yesterday.

However, the minister said the ship would not be allowed to dock at any port in the country.

“RCCL has confirmed that they have a number of ships situated about 15 miles away from Coco Cay,” Mr D’Aguilar told The Tribune in a brief statement.

“The ship in question has not been to Nassau in 2020 and the last day it was at Coco Cay was on February 5, 2020. Obviously, it will not be allowed to dock at any port in The Bahamas.”

Coco Cay is a private island leased by Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and reserved exclusively for the cruise line’s guests.

Mr D’Aguilar said presently, there were five RCCL ships anchored in that area. The Oasis has not requested food or medical assistance from The Bahamas at this time, he said.

According to the Miami Herald yesterday, a crew member aboard the ship recorded the captain’s Saturday announcement of the positive COVID-19 results over the loudspeaker system. “At the moment, we have 14 that have tested positive for COVID-19 onboard the Oasis of the Seas out of all we have tested,” the captain said in the recording, the Herald reported.

The ship was based at PortMiami until the industry cancelled new cruises on March 13. Royal Caribbean said in a statement to the Herald: “The health and well-being of our crew is our foremost priority. Crew members who exhibited symptoms were evaluated by our medical staff and remain under close supervision. In accordance with our health and safety protocols, our crew have been asked to self-isolate in cabins while we await confirmation of initial results from public health authorities.”

However, in its statement the cruise line did not say anyone had tested positive.

The captain, the Florida daily said, did not say when the patients had been tested. The crew member, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said some workers showed flu-like symptoms aboard the ship before the company suspended cruises on March 13.

“It’s a little scary because we didn’t know there were so many cases on the ship,” the crew member said.

The ship docked at PortMiami on March 15 to let off the last of its passengers. One of those passengers said neither the company nor border patrol asked about his health nor checked for fever when he disembarked. He said his waiter in the main dining room disappeared midway through the seven-night cruise.

birdiestrachan 4 years ago

Coco cay has been leased by the cruise line. it seems they have certain rights. Never mind D'Aguilar. a stranger to the truth. the true story may never be told.

proudloudandfnm 4 years ago

Why don't you quit this job? It makes you look like an idiot. Tell the PLP to find another online pundit....

truetruebahamian 4 years ago

Little Sturrup Cay has been the private island of Royal Caribbean and the Oasis of the seas for many years now, Birdie - but as for his being a stranger to the truth ... he is by far more intimate to the truth than you could ever hope to be.

moncurcool 4 years ago

Truth. Say it again. Birdie is sadly so political that everything is coloured through the political lens.

Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years ago

These cruise ships have been taken out of circulation by Royal Caribbean because of the Red China Virus. It seems they have only their crew members on board, mainly comprised of foreign (non-US) nationals, many of whom are believed to have been infected with the Red China Virus. The Bahamas is apparently allowing these foreign owned cruise ships to seek refuge in our territorial waters because the US government considers it much too risky to allow them to dock at a US port. What's going on here? Our Minnis-led FNM government has made no public disclosure of this high risk accommodation to Royal Caribbean. And what about the other cruise line companies? Have similarly secretive high risk arrangements been made with them as well?

The agreements under which these foreign cruise line companies are leasing certain islands in the Bahamas surely do not permit what's going on here. Is the Minnis-led FNM government also allowing other large sea vessels (e.g. container cargo ships) and their crews to seek refuge in our territorial waters because no other country will allow them to dock at one of their ports? What's the story here?

Many of these ships are registered under the Bahamian flag. Bahamas happy for the registration fees but don’t know them when they are in trouble or dumping garbage in our oceans.

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