Where Is the Westerdam Cruise Ship?

By Michael Ferguson

The Westerdam cruise ship has been the center of attention over the past few weeks. After being denied entry to several ports, the vessel was finally allowed to dock in Cambodia on February 13th, 2020. The Westerdam had been at sea for two weeks prior to its docking, and its 1,455 passengers and 802 crew members were eagerly awaiting their arrival at a port of call.

The ordeal began when the Westerdam set sail from Hong Kong on February 1st. The vessel was originally scheduled to make stops in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea before finally ending its voyage in Yokohama, Japan on February 15th. However, as soon as the ship left Hong Kong, it was denied entry into all three countries due to fears that one of its passengers may be infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Westerdam had been tested extensively by medical professionals onboard before it departed from Hong Kong. It had also passed health scans conducted by Japanese authorities while it was still offshore. Despite these measures, the fear of an outbreak onboard caused all three countries to deny entry to the vessel.

After these rejections, the Westerdam set sail for Guam in search of a port that would accept them. While en route to Guam on February 8th, several passengers onboard fell ill with flu-like symptoms which further increased concerns about a potential outbreak onboard. The crew quickly took action and isolated those passengers in an effort to contain any possible spread of the virus.

On February 11th, Guam also refused entry to the vessel citing similar concerns about a potential outbreak aboard the ship. This prompted Holland America Line (HAL), who operates the Westerdam cruise line, to request permission from other countries for their ship’s arrival. Finally after numerous rejections from various ports around Southeast Asia, Cambodia accepted their request and granted them permission to dock at Sihanoukville on February 13th.

While docked in Sihanoukville all passengers and crew were tested for COVID-19 by Cambodian medical professionals who found no evidence of infection among those aboard the vessel. After two full days of testing were completed on February 15th HAL announced that all tests had come back negative and that there were no signs of any active cases onboard.

After being cleared by Cambodian health officials HAL issued a statement thanking Cambodia for providing a safe haven for their passengers and crew during this difficult time.

Where Is The Westerdam Cruise Ship Now?

After disembarking from Sihanoukville on February 15th, 2020 the Westerdam is now making its way back towards Yokohama where it will arrive on March 2nd.

Conclusion:

The ordeal experienced by both passengers and crew aboard Holland America Lines’ Westerdam cruise ship has been difficult but thankfully they have now arrived safely at their final destination after being denied entry into multiple ports due to fears over potential infection with coronavirus (COVID-19). All tests conducted during their time docked in Cambodia came back negative indicating there are no active cases onboard at this time.