Hurtigruten cruise liner interrupts Antarctic trip after COVID outbreak

Hurtigruten cruise liner MS Roald Amundsen is docked due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on board, in Breivika, Tromso, Norway, August 3, 2020. Terje Pedersen / NTB Scanpix / via REUTERS

OSLO, Jan.6 (Reuters) – Norwegian cruise and travel operator Hurtigruten Group will cut short a trip to the Antarctic region following a coronavirus outbreak, the company said on Thursday.

Ten people on board the MS Roald Amundsen cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19, and the ship will return to port in Chile two days ahead of schedule, said a spokesperson for Hurtigruten Expeditions, a subsidiary of the Hurtigruten Group .

The ship, carrying some 362 passengers and crew, had left for an 18-day cruise from Punta Arenas in southern Chile and will now return to the same port.

The MS Roald Amundsen was also hit by a coronavirus outbreak in August 2020, when dozens of passengers and crew tested positive, public health officials in Norway said at the time.

Hurtigruten Expeditions operates a fleet of seven ships offering trips to more than 30 countries, including the polar regions.

Cruise ships Royal Caribbean (RCL.N) and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH.N) canceled crossings on Wednesday amid growing fears of Omicron-linked coronavirus infections that have held back the nascent recovery in the industry ravaged by the pandemic. Read more

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said last week that people should avoid traveling on cruise ships, regardless of their vaccination status. Read more

Reporting by Victoria Klesty; edited by Terje Solsvik and Rosalba O’Brien

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