FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Holland America Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, deployed a ship to deliver coronavirus test kits to the MS Zaandam cruise ship heading to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.
The MS Zaandam’s voyage continues with 1,829 people on board, including 30 guests and 47 crew members who have reported coronavirus symptoms and haven’t been off the ship since March 14 in Chile.
“Holland America Line has deployed Rotterdam to rendezvous with Zaandam and provide extra supplies, staff, COVID-19 test kits and other support as needed,” a cruise line representative wrote in a statement.
Carrying 611 crew and no guests, Rotterdam departed Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Sunday and is set to meet with MS Zaandam’s crew on Thursday evening off the coast of Panama.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Florida Department of Health in Broward County, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Customs & Border Protection and the Port Everglades Pilots Association are assessing the situation.