Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ vessel Vasco da Gama is scheduled to arrive into Fremantle at 8am local time on Friday 27 March 2020 carrying 798 Australians and 109 New Zealanders.
Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) has recorded no health concerns among the passengers or crew, who have not left Vasco da Gama/Columbus since 14 March 2020 and have therefore have not visited any destination since then. When the passengers arrive in Fremantle on 27 March, it will be their 13th day at sea. CMV’s 552 crew members will remain onboard.
CMV has consulted with Australian Border Force and has confirmed that passengers should not make onwards travel plans any earlier than 2pm local time to allow for additional, mandatory screening procedures. To assist passengers with this process and to provide passengers with some flexibility for their onwards journey, Vasco da Gama will remain in Fremantle overnight on Friday 27 March and passengers may remain onboard if required. CMV has asked passengers arranging flights to their final destination to depart the ship by evening of Saturday 28 March 2020.
Further to this, the current advice from the Western Australian Government states that passengers must remain onboard Vasco da Gama until arrangements have been made for them to be privately transported directly to their home or to the airport to fly home.
To assist with this, CMV is arranging for complimentary coach transfers from Fremantle Passenger Terminal to Perth Airport, in partnership with Tourism Western Australia. CMV has provided details of the relevant departments and ministries for health for each Australian state and territory as well as for New Zealand. The information that passengers have provided CMV for their onwards travel plans have been shared with the Australian Government as well as respective travel agents where applicable so they can assist in making travel arrangements home for passengers.
Any friends, family or travel agents wishing to contact passengers on board should email paxmessages@vascodagama-gcl.com so that CMV can ensure quick delivery of information to those travelling on Vasco da Gama.
Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) is committed to the health and safety of its passengers and crew. Since the temporary suspension of all CMV cruises globally and in light of the continued border closures and flight cancellations, all six vessels in the CMV Group’s global fleet are navigating to the nearest available disembarkation port so that current guests can make their way safely home. Three of CMV’s ships, Magellan, Marco Polo and Astoria, have already returned to their homeport in the UK and have completed or are in the final stages of disembarking passengers. Astor, which is currently sailing for CMV’s German brand Transocean Kreuzfahrten, is on her way to Bremerhaven, Germany and expected to arrive on Sunday 12th April.
Dean Brazier, Managing Director for CMV Australia, said, “We would like to thank our guests and staff presently on board Vasco da Gama, as well as shore-side officials, those impacted by curtailed or cancelled cruises, and our travel agent partners for their great support, understanding and patience during this time. CMV would also like to thank Cruise Lines International Australia (CLIA), Tourism Western Australia, the Western Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Australian Border Force (ABF) for their assistance with an operation that has been very complex logistically, but will ultimately result in a relatively smooth arrival for our passengers.”
Timeline of the ship’s voyage
- The ship originally left Fremantle on 12 February 2020 on its Grand Northbound Voyage to Britain.
- Vasco da Gama was undertaking a segment of the Fremantle to London cruise, which departed Singapore on 9 March 2020 with 623 Australians on board.
- CMV management made the decision to cancel the rest of the voyage on 13 March 2020 (GMT). At this point the ship had been at anchorage in Phuket, Thailand since 11 March, but passengers were unable to disembark after one passenger was taken to hospital unwell, later testing NEGATIVE for COVID-19 (two rounds of testing undertaken).
- On 18 March 2020, Vasco da Gama met CMV’s Columbus at anchorage off the coast of Phuket. Australian and New Zealand nationals and residents remained onboard Vasco da Gama, while those onboard Columbus were transferred to Vasco da Gama by tender. Vasco da Gama set sail in the early afternoon for Fremantle. European nationals and residents were transferred from Vasco da Gama to Columbus to join other Europeans before setting sail for London Tilbury.
- Before meeting Vasco da Gama, Columbus was undertaking a round-the-world cruise and the most recent port it had visited was Semarang, Indonesia on 14 March 2020.
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