Thirty-six crew members on board Hurtigruten’s MS Roald Amundsen have tested positive for COVID-19 according to a statement provided by the Norwegian cruise line.
Hurtigruten says 158 crew members on Hurtigruten’s expedition ship MS Roald Amundsen have now been tested for possible COVID-19 infection.
36 have tested positive for COVID-19, while 122 have been confirmed as negative.
The ship is currently docked in Tromsø, Norway with no guests on board.
Four crew members were confirmed positive on Friday. Extensive testing of the entire crew has concluded that an additional 32 crew members are confirmed as COVID-19 positive. 122 of the crew have tested negative.
None of the 154 crew members still on board the ship – including the 32 new confirmed positive tests Saturday – has shown any signs of disease or symptoms of COVID-19.
32 of the 34 confirmed cases are from the Philippines. The three others are Norwegian, French and German nationalities.
Hurtigruten says they are in contact with all passengers who had been on the MS Roald Amundsen for its July 17 and July 24 departures.
There were reportedly 209 guests on the first voyage and 178 guests on the second voyage. All have been asked to self-quarantine in accordance with Norwegian regulations, according to the cruise line.
“We are now focusing all available efforts in taking care of our guests and colleagues. We work closely with the Norwegian national and local health authorities for follow-up, information, further testing, and infection tracking,”
Rune Thomas Ege, Hurtigruten VP Global Communications
The initial four crew members that were infected were isolated several days ago because of other disease symptoms, showing no symptoms of COVID-19. They were routinely tested before being admitted to hospital in Tromsø, Norway Friday morning.
“The safety and well-being of our guests and crew is Hurtigruten’s number one priority. 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,” Ege says.
MS Roald Amundsen was scheduled to sail to Svalbard on Friday afternoon. That voyage has now been cancelled.
The next cruise with the ship is not planned until September.