New Year Failed On Madeira Island Due To COVID-19 Outbreak, German Cruise Ship AIDAnova Ends Voyage In Portugal

AIDAnova cruise ship illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/HenSti)

JAKARTA - The operator of a German cruise ship stuck in the Lisbon port due to the coronavirus outbreak among its crew, suspended cruises on Sunday after several passengers tested positive, port authorities said.

The cruise ship AIDAnova carrying 2,844 passengers and 1,353 crew docked in Lisbon, Portugal on December 29 while en route to Madeira Island for New Year's Eve celebrations. However, the ship was unable to continue its journey after 52 cases of COVID-19 were detected among the fully vaccinated crew.

In fact, the ship had been allowed to leave port and head for the Spanish island of Lanzarote on Sunday. But now 12 other people have tested positive, including four passengers, port captain Diogo Vieira Branco told TSF radio.

"The company protocol was immediately followed up, with those infected, who were asymptomatic or showing mild symptoms, immediately isolated onboard the ship. The company decided to end the cruise and unload passengers", he explained, citing Reuters on January 3.

The passengers will be transported home by air, he added, without specifying when. The company, AIDA Cruises, which is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Reuters records showed passengers still enjoying the afternoon sun on the deck with their drinks, with local media saying the disembarkation process would begin after 6 a.m. Monday.

Meanwhile, the crew who tested positive between Wednesday and Friday were transferred to the Lisbon hotel and isolated there.

On Thursday last week, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised people to avoid traveling on cruise ships regardless of their vaccination status.

The move dealt another blow to an industry that only returned to the sea in June, after months of suspension of shipping caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.