The cruise ship solely responsible for about 10 per cent of all coronavirus cases and more than a quarter of COVID-19-related deaths in Australia has finally left the country.
The ill-fated Ruby Princess, owned by British-American operator Carnival Cruiseline, had been moored at Port Kembla, 100 kilometres south of Sydney, since April 6 following a COVID-19 outbreak.
“Ruby Princess has departed Port Kembla. There are around 500 crew members on board,” a spokesperson for Carnival Cruiseline told dpa.
The Ruby Princess, the single biggest source of coronavirus cases in Australia, docked in Sydney Harbour on March 8 after 11 days at sea.
Border and health authorities allowed some 2,700 passengers to leave the ship with only minimal checks, even though about a dozen passengers had shown respiratory symptoms before they disembarked.
More than 650 people, or one in 10 coronavirus cases in Australia, and 21 of the country’s 76 COVID-19-related deaths have been Ruby Princess passengers, according to health authorities.
New South Wales has launched two inquiries into the fiasco.
Australian television showed live footage of the Ruby Princess leaving the dock with tug boats pulling the ship away on Thursday.
“THANK YOU ILLAWARA,” read a large banner on the ship, which is now bound for Manila in the Philippines.
New South Wales police said Thursday they had escorted 542 crew members from the ship this week, to be repatriated to their home countries, including Germany and 14 other countries.
A total of 33 crew members who tested positive for coronavirus are quarantined in state health department-managed hotels, police said.
