News on the Westerdam

[Maya1234]

“Please think about what you post and avoid over-hyping the situation. Do you have ANY idea what it must have been like on a real plague ship in medieval times?  “

 

This remind me of the episode of The Office where Jim had to explain hyperbole to Michael. 

[JennysUncle]

As of 32 min ago, the Westerdam's AIS tracker has appeared on VesselFinder.com.  Yesterday it had been loafing up from Ishigaki towards Okinawa, but now it is east of the southern end of Taiwan, heading southeast.  That's a course consistent with heading for Hong Kong.

[Level six]

Hong Kong is not accepting any cruise ships. 

[AncientWanderer]

21 minutes ago, Maya1234 said:

“Please think about what you post and avoid over-hyping the situation. Do you have ANY idea what it must have been like on a real plague ship in medieval times?  “

 

This remind me of the episode of The Office where Jim had to explain hyperbole to Michael. 

 

Mary's post did have some hyperbole to it, but on the other hand, if I'm stuck on a ship where a communicable disease is spreading, unable to get off, I'd feel quite medieval.

 

I just hope they get the treatment protocols figured out.  It sounds like they are making headway with certain antivirals, HIV drugs, etc.  Once this condition is figured out a bit more, it won't be so spooky.

[leerathje]

1 minute ago, AncientWanderer said:

 

Mary's post did have some hyperbole to it, but on the other hand, if I'm stuck on a ship where a communicable disease is spreading, unable to get off, I'd feel quite medieval.

 

I just hope they get the treatment protocols figured out.  It sounds like they are making headway with certain antivirals, HIV drugs, etc.  Once this condition is figured out a bit more, it won't be so spooky.

 

Please clarify what ship has a communicable disease on it?  Because apparently it's not the Westerdam.  And the Westerdam passengers have said so as well.

 

L.

 

[AncientWanderer]

5 minutes ago, leerathje said:

 

Please clarify what ship has a communicable disease on it?  Because apparently it's not the Westerdam.  And the Westerdam passengers have said so as well.

 

L.

 

 

Speaking hypothetically.

[HAL4NOW]

9 minutes ago, leerathje said:

 

Please clarify what ship has a communicable disease on it?  Because apparently it's not the Westerdam.  And the Westerdam passengers have said so as well.

 

L.

 

The Diamond Princess? 61 cases so far.

[kazu]

Holland America released a statement which CBC posted specifically stating no one on the Westerdam has coronavirus. 

[Mandalay1903]

40 minutes ago, JennysUncle said:

As of 32 min ago, the Westerdam's AIS tracker has appeared on VesselFinder.com.  Yesterday it had been loafing up from Ishigaki towards Okinawa, but now it is east of the southern end of Taiwan, heading southeast.  That's a course consistent with heading for Hong Kong.

 

Thanks for the news, JennysUncle. Their heading could equally take them to Thailand or a number of other places. The good news is they're traveling fast, roughly 19 kn, which indicates that they have a solution for a port.

[iancal]

Westerdam and HAL have a very simple challenge.

 

This situation is changing faster than HAL can make the next port...despite the 19 knots
 

HAL, along with these passengers, are paying a high price for HAL’s lack of good judgement and their placement of profit above customer in this situation.

 

I hope this gets resolved quickly.

Edited February 7, 2020 by iancal

[Mary229]

There is not much difference.  Fear and hysteria are carrying the day.  There is no difference from others calling it a Pariah ship.  Same difference.  Sorry but it is shortsighted to think we cannot repeat the errors of our ancestors .  No nagging please.  

Edited February 7, 2020 by Mary229

[shrimp56]

Just now, Mary229 said:

There is not much difference.  Fear and hysteria are carrying the day.  There is no difference from others calling it a Pariah ship.  Same difference.  Sorry but it is shortsighted to think we cannot repeat the errors of our ancestors .  No nagging please

 

If I were a passenger in an inside cabin on DiaPrin, breathing recirculated air and getting food delivered sporadically, I might be thinking along those lines.

 

BTW have sailed on Diamond Princess around Japan in 2018. She's too big for us, but she is a beautiful ship,

[Mary229]

5 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

There is not much difference.  Fear and hysteria are carrying the day.  There is no difference from others calling it a Pariah ship.  Same difference.  Sorry but it is shortsighted to think we cannot repeat the errors of our ancestors .  No nagging please.  

Further I will say that Maritime Law covers these situations and not that I know but my best guess is much of what is going on is outside of the realm of law.  

[BarbarianPaul]

13 minutes ago, kazu said:

Holland America released a statement which CBC posted specifically stating no one on the Westerdam has coronavirus. 

Unless they’ve tested virtually everyone on board, Holland America can’t be sure, since the incubation period is two weeks, and eight hundred passengers were boarded only 6 days ago. And let’s not forget the other 600-700 back to back passengers from the previous cruise from Singapore who ventured off the ship on various excursions who might have been exposed in Hong Kong. It’s entirely possible almost any one of the 1455 passengers could have the virus but is currently asymptomatic.

 

If Holland America’s statement had any credibility, why are they being refused debarkation virtually everywhere?

 

This entire situation is a real black mark and, the longer it drags on, terrible publicity for Holland America. And what happens when they finally find a port of entry, but are told the ship must be quarantined for two weeks before anyone is allowed to debark? That’s the next shoe to drop.

 

The unfortunate part is that the entire situation was completely avoidable if they had only sailed on to Manila from Vietnam and avoided Hong Kong, where they could have debarked and embarked passengers. Yes, of course that’s 20/20 hindsight, but it sure doesn’t seem to me that they had to be clairvoyant to figure out that the situation in Hong Kong was going to quickly get substantially worse,  considering this was the beginning of the outbreak.

 

 

[kazu]

10 minutes ago, BarbarianPaul said:

If Holland America’s statement had any credibility, why are they being refused debarkation virtually everywhere?

 

Just to clarify - They are being refused entry as Japan is not allowing any cruise ships in ports right now.  There are other cruise ships scheduled to arrive and they have been warned that they will NOT be permitted to disembark at any Japanese port.

 

The U.S. State Department appealed to the government of Japan and Japan stood firm.  They have issued warnings that no ships will be allowed to disembark for now.

 

[Mary229]

2 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Just to clarify - They are being refused entry as Japan is not allowing any cruise ships in ports right now.  There are other cruise ships scheduled to arrive and they have been warned that they will NOT be permitted to disembark at any Japanese port.

 

The U.S. State Department appealed to the government of Japan and Japan stood firm.  They have issues warning that no ships will be allowed to disembark for now.

 

Exactly, it seems to fall outside of law and civil conduct.  Additionally if they are refusing safe harbor to large cruise lines, I have to believe they are also sending poor fishermen away.  

[Dog Drool]

9 minutes ago, BarbarianPaul said:

Unless they’ve tested virtually everyone on board, Holland America can’t be sure, since the incubation period is two weeks, and eight hundred passengers were boarded only 6 days ago. And let’s not forget the other 600-700 back to back passengers from the previous cruise from Singapore who ventured off the ship on various excursions who might have been exposed in Hong Kong. It’s entirely possible almost any one of the 1455 passengers could have the virus but is currently asymptomatic.

 

Because the passengers are not quarantined in cabin, IF someone develops systems at day 10 then the whole 14 day clock starts again.  I hope no one is ill on the ship and they can disembark on day 14 and fly home.  

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

15 minutes ago, BarbarianPaul said:

Unless they’ve tested virtually everyone on board, Holland America can’t be sure, since the incubation period is two weeks, and eight hundred passengers were boarded only 6 days ago. And let’s not forget the other 600-700 back to back passengers from the previous cruise from Singapore who ventured off the ship on various excursions who might have been exposed in Hong Kong. It’s entirely possible almost any one of the 1455 passengers could have the virus but is currently asymptomatic.

 

If Holland America’s statement had any credibility, why are they being refused debarkation virtually everywhere?

 

This entire situation is a real black mark and, the longer it drags on, terrible publicity for Holland America. And what happens when they finally find a port of entry, but are told the ship must be quarantined for two weeks before anyone is allowed to debark? That’s the next shoe to drop.

 

The unfortunate part is that the entire situation was completely avoidable if they had only sailed on to Manila from Vietnam and avoided Hong Kong, where they could have debarked and embarked passengers. Yes, of course that’s 20/20 hindsight, but it sure doesn’t seem to me that they had to be clairvoyant to figure out that the situation in Hong Kong was going to quickly get substantially worse,  considering this was the beginning of the outbreak.

 

 

 

Do we know that in-transit passengers were able to go off the ship? 

 

In the week since the Feb 2 cruise left, conditions have changed drastically. I don't think there's been an epidemic that has spread so quickly and caused so much alarm in my lifetime. SARS? I don't remember that situation changed so quickly. 

 

[ed01106]

50 minutes ago, Mandalay1903 said:

 

The good news is they're traveling fast, roughly 19 kn, which indicates that they have a solution for a port.

Or a port where local authorities haven’t banned them yet and they are racing to get there before the ban goes in effect.

[Level six]

The Westerdam stopped in HK on FEB 1.  Passengers were let off the ship, as per our roll call.  

Some on board said about 200-300 people who had traveled in China in the last 14 days were not allowed on the ship.  About 800 got on.

 

I do not know if these are facts, but it is what was said on the roll call........way back then.  The Ship left HK on FEB 1.

[BarbarianPaul]

1 minute ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Do we know that in-transit passengers were able to go off the ship? 

 

In the week since the Feb 2 cruise left, conditions have changed drastically. I don't think there's been an epidemic that has spread so quickly and caused so much alarm in my lifetime. SARS? I don't remember that situation changed so quickly. 

 

Yes, I believe in transit passengers were sold excursions for Feb. 1. And yes, of course things changed drastically,  but personally I don’t think it gets them off the hook for that stop in Hong Kong. They knew it was bad enough to eliminate the overnight, and they could have decided that an over abundance of caution was required, and eliminate the port entirely. 
 

But they didn’t. It would have been more expensive for them.

[Level six]

2 minutes ago, ed01106 said:

Or a port where local authorities haven’t banned them yet and they are racing to get there before the ban goes in effect.

 

I think it was stated somewhere that HCMC was still allowing ships to dock, maybe there.  

 

 

[Vict0riann]

What's HCMC?

[Mandalay1903]

I just Googled it and it's either Hennepin County Medical Center, or Ho Chi Minh City... 😉

Edited February 7, 2020 by Mandalay1903

[HappyInVan]

Let keep cool and supportive of the crew and pax on the affected ships.

 

The matter is in the hands of higher powers. We can only wait for the news.

 

Let's avoid melodramatic descriptions of the vessels, which would surely draw the ire of the opinionated. Peace. The outbreak will be under control as governments are acting decisively.