Crew 'Scared' as Coronavirus-Stricken Ship Leaves Port in Australia
The Ruby Princess cruise ship left Port Kembla, New South Wales, on April 23, five weeks after the vessel first docked in Sydney, with reports that crew members on board feared for their health.
Tug boats performed a water salute as the ship left port in Illawarra and the crew hung a large banner across the stern to say thank you.
In this footage, smoke is seen rising from the ship’s engine before it leaves port. The journalist James Wilson said it “looks as if they are running through some mechanical checks as it prepares to leave.”
The New South Wales opposition leader, Jodi McKay, said she was “overwhelmed” with messages from crew members who remained on the ship.
“Many scared, some unwell,” she said on Twitter. “They tell me they don’t even know where the ship is going. One believes leaving is a ‘death sentence’.”
More than 350 crew members were allowed to disembark before the ship departed. A number of crew members who tested positive for coronavirus were taken to hotels for a 14-day quarantine. Others were transported to Sydney Airport for flights home.
According to local reports, the Ruby Princess had been linked to more than 700 coronavirus cases and 21 deaths in Australia.
The ship became the subject of an inquiry after 2,700 passengers were allowed to disembark and fly home to locations across Australia and overseas when it first docked. Credit: James Wilson via Storyful
