Jakarta (ANTARA) - Some 143 of the 253 Indonesian crew members of the Costa Smeralda cruise ship returned home aboard a chartered flight to Jakarta and Denpasar, Wednesday after the ship docked at Marseille Port since March 15.
The crew members were transported aboard a bus chartered by the ship's operator leaving Marseille for Milan on Tuesday (May 5), according to a statement of the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Marseille here on Wednesday.
Some 84 crew members tested positive for COVID-19 and had to be quarantined aboard the ship, while 26 others decided to take up the offer of Costa Smeralda to continue working at the ship.
Acting Consul General in Marseille Erie Noer Bawono stated that the ship's management will meet the basic requirements and medical expenses of the crew.
The KJRI in Marseille and Indonesian Embassy in Rome have worked in coordination to monitor the repatriation process of Indonesian crew members of ships operated by Italy's Costa Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp, and ensure that all crew are tested for COVID-19 and have received a health certificate.
"KJRI Marseille has continued to monitor the condition of Indonesian crew members aboard the ship since they were anchored at Marseille, especially to offer moral support to the crew, who were concerned about their condition and to ensure that all their needs and rights were fulfilled," Bawono noted.
He stated that Costa Cruise management had guaranteed the repatriation of crew members. However, those testing positive for COVID-19 were not allowed to disembark the ship until they had recovered.
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