Holland America Ships Meet Up for Supply, Pax Exchange

Posted on 28 March, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

Holland America has said the Zaandam is currently off the coast of Panama and rendezvoused with the Rotterdam at 7:30 p.m. local time yesterday, March 26.

“We received approval from Panamanian authorities to conduct ship-to-ship operations at anchor between the two vessels. Medical supplies and additional medical staff were transferred to Zaandam,” the company said.

The company is also transferring groups of healthy Zaandam guests to the Rotterdam, with strict protocols for this process developed in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a press release.

Only those who have not been ill will be moved, and health screenings will be conducted before transferring. Priority for the first guests to transfer will be given to those on the Zaandam with inside staterooms and who are over 70. Once aboard the Rotterdam, all guests will continue to remain in their staterooms until disembarkation. Any guests who are currently ill, or in isolation as close contact, and all crew will remain on the Zaandam.

While the onward plan for both ships is still being finalized, the company said it will continue to work with the Panamanian authorities on approval to transit the Panama Canal for sailing to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Yesterday a number of patients with respiratory symptoms were tested for COVID-19 and two individuals tested positive. Out of an abundance of caution, on March 22 when the Zaandam first saw a number of guests reporting to the medical centre with influenza-like illness symptoms, the line took immediate protective measures, including asking all guests to self-isolate in their staterooms and implementing all other appropriate precautions that have been developed in coordination with the CDC. All guests and crew received face masks yesterday and were provided with instructions on when and how to wear them.

Currently, 53 guests (4%) and 85 crew (14%) have reported to the Zaandam’s medical centre with influenza-like illness symptoms. There are 1,243 guests and 586 crew on board. On Zaandam, there are four doctors and four nurses. On Rotterdam, there are two doctors and four nurses.

The company also said that four older guests have passed away on the Zaandam.

Zaandam passengers have been aboard a long time, and their trip is far from over

Posted on 25 March, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

Holland America Line said that the Zaandam, currently sailing off the west coast of South America, will rendezvous with the Rotterdam ship in two days to get extra supplies, additional staff and Covid-19 test kits.

The Zaandam needs the provisions because people onboard have flu-like symptoms and no ports in South America will allow the ship to disembark.

Holland America said no ports are open to the ship between Chile and Fort Lauderdale. The Florida city’s Port Everglades is now tentatively the Zaandam’s final destination. A March 30 arrival is anticipated, but plans are still being finalized and “alternative options” are being explored. Holland America is trying to get permission to transit the Panama Canal.

No passengers have disembarked the Zaandam since March 14 in Punta Arenas, Chile. The ship had been sailing a South America voyage that departed Buenos Aires on March 7 and was originally scheduled to end in San Antonio, Chile, on March 21.

Holland America said that 13 passengers and 29 crew on the Zaandam have reported to the ship’s medical centre with influenza-like symptoms. There are 1,243 passengers and 586 crew on board, and all passengers have been instructed to stay in their cabins.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have now asked all guests to remain in their staterooms until we have more information,” the cruise line said. Holland America added that because Covid-19 testing is not available onboard, “it is difficult to determine the cause of these elevated cases at this time.”

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HAL Zaandam

Starting March 24, the ship is providing meals by room service until further notice and all public areas are closed.

The Rotterdam has 611 crew and no passengers on board. It departed Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, at 3 p.m. local time on March 22. Holland America expects the two ships to meet on March 26 off the coast of Panama.

Port Everglades officials said on Tuesday that they are monitoring the Zaandam’s progress and that Broward County will determine whether to allow the ship to enter the port “as more information is available.” The port said it is consulting with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Florida Department of Health in Broward County and other entities.

Chilean ports Punta Arenas and Valparaiso, as well as ports in Peru, did not allow the ship to disembark. The ship was able to refuel in Valparaiso and take on provisions before sailing north.

Carnival Corp. offers the use of ships as floating hospitals

Posted on 19 March, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

Carnival Corp. offers use of ships as floating hospitals

Carnival Corp. has offered the use of its ships as temporary hospitals for non-coronavirus patients to free up space at land-based hospitals to treat patients with Covid-19.

President Trump announced at a press conference on Thursday that he had spoken with Carnival Corp. chairman Micky Arison on Thursday morning. “He’s going to make ships available,” he said.

The president has already ordered that two Navy hospital ships are deployed to areas hits hard by coronavirus. The USNS Comfort will head to New York Harbor and the USNS New York will be dispatched to a location on the West Coast. If needed, the Carnival ships could supplement those efforts.

“In addition to the big medical ships that you have coming, if we should need ships with lots of rooms, they will be docked at New York and Los Angeles and San Francisco, different places, so I want to thank Micky Arison. That’s Carnival Cruise Line,” the President said.

In a statement shortly afterwards, Carnival Corp. said that select ships from its many brands — including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia — would be made available to help with a possible shortage of land-based hospital beds.

“As part of the offer, interested parties will be asked to cover only the essential costs of the ship’s operations while in port,” the company said.

“If needed, cruise ships are capable of being quickly provisioned to serve as hospitals with up to 1,000 hospital rooms that can treat patients suffering from less critical, non-Covid-19 conditions,” Carnival Corp. said.

Temporary cruise ship hospital rooms can be quickly converted to accommodate remote patient-monitoring devices over the ship’s high-speed WiFi network, the company said. The ships would be capable of providing cardiac, respiratory, oxygen saturation, and video monitoring capabilities. Rooms have bathrooms, private balconies and isolation capabilities if needed.

The company said the ships would be able to provide up to seven intensive care units in their onboard medical centres with central cardiac monitoring, ventilators and other medical devices.

Carnival said various decks could house multiple medical functions, the company said.