PHILIPSBURG--Cruise ship Costa Magica, which has been turned away from several ports over coronavirus COVID-19 fears, will be in Port St. Maarten today only for provisioning purposes.
The vessel will only be bunkering and accepting provisions, and no disembarkation is allowed, Port St. Maarten representative Lela Simmonds told The Daily Herald last night.
Simmonds said persons handling the provisioning have been instructed to wash and sanitise their hands as often as possible and to be vigilant in observation of any persons exhibiting symptoms during operations.
The Port has established a crisis Emergency Service Department that can be deployed 24/7/365. The team consists of Safety and Security Manager Leslie Richardson and security officers Ryan James and Rensley Rollan. Their mobile and email addresses have been provided to Port users. Awareness seminars are also ongoing and the Security Department is keeping the agent informed on new developments, Simmonds said.
Martinique had placed the vessel in quarantine in Fort-de-France on March 12 because of suspicions of the presence of coronavirus on board. The ship reported the presence of several patients on board likely to be carriers of the COVID-19 coronavirus. This situation led to the refusal to dock the ship until the doubt has been
removed.
The ship was temporarily put in quarantine three miles from the coast, at the entrance of the bay of Fort-de-France. The ship had nearly 2,500 passengers and had been turned away from several ports in the Caribbean since its departure from Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe on March 6.
