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At
MPA
Swift repatriation of Superstar Virgo
crew |
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On 9 April 2003, one
crew member of cruise liner Superstar Virgo was
warded for observation in Tan Tock Seng Hospital
as a SARS suspect.
After the vessel arrived in Singapore on 11 April,
it was reported that another crew member had been
warded in Langkawi Hospital on 7 April for the
same reason.
In view of these developments and the spread of
SARS in the region, Star Cruises, the operator
of Superstar Virgo, decided to re-deploy the liner
to Australia and to cancel all the scheduled cruises
from Singapore.
The Maritime Port Authority (MPA) assisted in repatriating
some 300 crew members while the Superstar Virgo
was still in Singapore preparing for its next voyage.
In the early hours of 13 April, MPA set up a command
centre to coordinate the transfer of the crew from
the cruise liner at the Singapore Cruise Centre
to Changi Airport.
As the crew members could have been in contact
with the two SARS suspects, MPA had to ensure the
following: |
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the
crew members were not sick before they were
permitted to leave the ship |
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the
transfer to the airport was carried out expeditiously
without any stopover |
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the
repatriation was completed on the same day
the Superstar Virgo was expected to sail. |
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Some
airlines declined to accept the crew members
on hearing that they were from Superstar Virgo.
MPA had to find airlines that were willing to
take them at short notice.
Everyone involved worked under pressure to meet the tight deadlines. Singapore
Airlines, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Singapore Cruise Centre,
the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Star Cruises assisted in the operation.
In the end, 326 crew members of the Superstar Virgo were repatriated from Changi
Airport on 27 flights, and the cruise liner sailed on without any delay to her
next destination. |
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By
MPA
Next: At
MOM
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