Approaching 20,000 UK cruise passengers on 59 cruise ships have now all been returned to the UK as part of the country’s mammoth effort to return hundreds of thousands of UK travellers abroad.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) said that the final group was expected to disembark the 92,720 gt Costa Deliziosa (IMO 9398917)in Genoa.
The first repatriation took place on February 21st with the evacuation of the 78 British nationals from the 115,906 gt Diamond Princess (IMO 9228198) in Japan. However, the pace increased dramatically post-March 12th when the FCO advised against vulnerable people traveling on cruise ships. The high-publicity repatriations included the 669 UK passengers on board the 24,344 gt Braemar (IMO 9000699), who were returned from Cuba, plus 135 from the 107,517 gt Grand Princess (IMO 9184005) which wasfor a short time stranded off southern California, a further 350-plus from the 91,627 gt Coral Princess (IMO 9229659) in Florida, plus 211 from the 61,396 gt Zaandam (IMO 9156527).