PORT ST. MAARTEN – The turnaround operation involving the Fred Olsen cruise ship Braemar can be considered a success Port St. Maarten Management said on Sunday evening when the operation came to an end around 11.00pm.
The turnaround operation included disembarking and embarking passengers at the Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise & Cargo Facility. The turnaround entails when one set of passengers departs the ship and another set embarks. 636 passengers disembarked; 556 embarked; 56 were in transit passengers; four disembarking crew and 380 in transit crew.
We have been working closely with the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM Airport) Operations section as well as with the Police, Customs, and SXM Airport Security for a seamless turnaround operation.
“As a port of entry catering to the cruise ship market where vessels carry thousands of passengers, we have a great working relationship with the country’s health authorities such as the Collection Prevention Service of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour. We would like to assure the maritime sector that the protocols in place have been working and we will continue to work diligently with all stakeholders in promoting preventative hygiene measures against infectious diseases.
“We have protocols in place according to International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines. Vessels are required to present 12-hours before berthing a maritime health declaration which is then submitted to the Ministry of Public Health which follows International Health Regulations (IHR) and local health sector regulations such as the Public Health Ordinance of Sint Maarten. These protocols are in place to protect the public and our visitors from infectious diseases.
“Coronavirus COVID-19 infection is creating many challenges for various sectors including shipping, but decisions taken with respect to our important cruise tourism sector are based on facts and sound medical advice,” Port St. Maarten Management said on Sunday evening.
Port St. Maarten continues to work closely with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and its cruise partners regarding the safety of cruise passengers and crew where it concerns both pre-boarding measures and onboard protocols for handling infectious disease, many of which go above and beyond those required by U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO has already indicated based on current information about the virus, that there are no global travel restrictions on travel and trade.
