Hurtigruten’s MS Roald Amundsen, one of the first ships to resume cruising in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, has been besieged by an outbreak of the deadly affliction.
Some 33 crew members have tested positive for COVID-19 on a ship that features 158 crew members, Hurtigruten said in a statement. All crew members have now been tested and 120 are confirmed as negative. The company said five crew members will be retested before final results are verified.
The ship is currently docked in Tromso, Norway with no guests on board.
There have been two itineraries so far for the Roald Amundsen; 209 passengers were on board the first voyage, and 178 guests from the July 24 departure. They will self-quarantine in line with Norwegian health authority regulations. Hurtigruten also assists guests with transport, accommodation, food and other needs.
The ship was operating at 50 percent capacity. It can hold 539 passengers.
Hurtigruten returned to the seas with 14 ships last month.
“We work closely with the Norwegian national and local health authorities for follow-up, information, further testing, and infection tracking,” says Hurtigruten VP Global Communications Rune Thomas Ege.
Hurtigruten is in contact with all guests that were on board MS Roald Amundsen’s July 17 and 24 departures.
“The safety and well-being of our guests and crew is Hurtigruten’s number one priority,” the company said. “All crew members are closely monitored and screened daily. Non-Norwegian crew members are quarantined before boarding the ship, and non-European crew need to undergo two negative Covid-19 tests before even leaving their home country.”
The MS Roald Amundsen was scheduled to sail to Svalbard on Friday afternoon. That voyage is now cancelled. The next cruise with the ship is not planned until September.
