CARNIVAL Australia remains firmly in the mainstream media spotlight during the COVID-19 crisis, with an ongoing focus on the spread of coronavirus from cruise ships prompting a formal investigation by NSW Police. Commissioner Mick Fuller (pictured) announced the probe yesterday, saying “there seems to be absolute discrepancies between the information...
CARNIVAL Australia remains firmly in the mainstream media spotlight during the COVID-19 crisis, with an ongoing focus on the spread of coronavirus from cruise ships prompting a formal investigation by NSW Police.
Commissioner Mick Fuller (pictured) announced the probe yesterday, saying “there seems to be absolute discrepancies between the information provided by Carnival and what I would see as the benchmark for the laws that the Federal Government and the State Government put in place in terms of protecting Australians from cruise ships when coronavirus had started.
“The only way I can get to the bottom of whether our national biosecurity laws and our state laws were broken is through a criminal investigation,” he said.
Carnival Australia President, Sture Myrmell and local Princess Cruises chief, Stuart Allison, have both insisted that procedures in place at the time were followed “to the letter” (CW 03 Apr), while Federal Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton has accused cruise lines of “lying”.
In the meantime documents including transcripts of radio communications between the Ruby Princess and shoreside health authorities have emerged, and sensational tabloid-style exposs on TV last night raised questions about the role of NSW Health and Border Force.
MEANWHILE a major operation on Sydney Harbour on the weekend saw police supervise the controlled departure of five Royal Caribbean Cruises ships from local waters, described as “the largest maritime operation the city has seen outside wartime”.
Crew members were transferred between Celebrity Solstice, Voyager of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas as the ships were restocked for journeys to their home ports, in compliance with an Australian Border Force order that all cruise ships should leave before 15 Jun.
Ruby Princess has relocated to Port Kembla where unwell crew are being evacuated and cared for.
