Stranded cruise ship crew to land at Mumbai Port

A total of 146 seafarers and crew onboard US cruise liner Marella Discovery will anchor off the Mumbai Port on Thursday after spending 37 days on-board.

A total of 146 seafarers and crew onboard US cruise liner Marella Discovery will anchor off the Mumbai Port on Thursday after spending 37 days on-board.

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According to a press note issued by Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s office, the seafarers and crew members will be subject to a test for Covid-19 and will remain quarantined in a building within the port trust premises till their reports are received.

On Tuesday night, the ministry of home affairs issued an order allowing the sign-in and sign-off of Indian ship crew at different ports. “The order is set to benefit close to 35,000-40,000 seafarers,” the press note stated.

Earlier on Tuesday, the crew on Marella Discovery had appealed to the Centre to announce a policy for the seafarers on an urgent basis. The cruise was to travel to Cochin, New Mengaluru, Goa and Mumbai between April 2 and 6.

However, owing to the coronavirus outbreak and ensuing lockdown, the passengers were disembarked at Laem Chabang in Thailand on March 14. After it arrived at Cochin on April 12, it was denied permission to disembark and reached Mumbai on April 14.

Since then, the crew is waiting for permission though they stated that none of the crew members onboard has been infected. After dropping the Indian crew members, the ship will set sail to Norway.