1 THIS IS A DAILY COMPILATION OF MEDIA ARTICLES CONCERNING THE COVID-19 IMPACT TO THE GLOBAL CRUISE INDUSTRY. Please note this isn’t a complete listing of media articles but a snapshot only. 02 April, 2020: TRUMP SAYS CANADIANS ON TWO STRANDED CRUISE SHIPS WILL BE HEADING HOME FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- U.S. President Donald Trump says there are plans to remove nearly 250 Canadians from two cruise ships and get them back to Canada. The U.S. Coast Guard has directed all cruise ships to remain at sea where they may be sequestered "indefinitely" during the coronavirus pandemic, but Trump said Canada is coming to get the Canadians from the MS Zaandam and its sister ship the Rotterdam. "We're taking the Canadians off and giving them to Canadian authorities. They're going to bring them back home," Trump said at his daily press briefing on Wednesday. Read more…. https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/trump-says-canadians-on-two-stranded-cruise-ships-will- be-heading-home-1.4878684 https://nationalpost.com/news/nearly-100-canadians-remain-on-cruise-ship-where-four-died-in-covid- 19-outbreak-after-healthy-passengers-moved-to-new-ship 02 April, 2020: CARNIVAL CANCELS ALL CRUISES FROM SAN FRANCISCO THROUGH 2020 Unfortunately, these days, cruises are getting cancelled no matter where you’re headed or which line you’re cruising with. Those booked with Carnival Cruise Line were dealt with more bad news today, particularly anyone sailing from San Francisco or onboard Carnival Radiance or Carnival Legend. The cruise line announced both ships will be out of commission until the start of November. The ships both home port in Florida. Carnival also announced all cruises from San Francisco are cancelled through 2020. Both Florida and California have some of the highest COVID-19 infection numbers in the country. Alaska cruises are also cancelled until July due to Canada closing its cruise ports to ships over 500 people until July. Many Alaskan itineraries begin from or feature Canadian ports as stops along the way. Read more.. https://www.porthole.com/carnival-cancels-all-cruises-from-san-francisco-through-2020/ https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-cancels-even-more-sailings/38775 02 April, 2020: CRUISE SHIPS WITH HUNDREDS OF SICK PASSENGERS TO ARRIVE OFF FLORIDA COAST EARLY THURSDAY A pair of cruise ships carrying more than 200 guests and crew with flu-like symptoms, including eight passengers who tested positive for Covid-19, were expected off Florida's coast early Thursday. But whether passengers will be allowed to disembark remained unclear. Calling the plight of those on board a "humanitarian situation," Holland America ON Wednesday evening made a last-ditch appeal to federal and local authorities to allow the Zaandam and Rotterdam cruise ships to disembark in Fort Lauderdale's Port of Everglades. "We appreciate the support of President Trump in resolving the humanitarian plight of our guests," the British-American cruise line said in a statement. "Holland America Line calls for Document prepared by A.L. Skinner Consulting Inc https://gusskinnerconsulting.com subject to changes / amendments pg. 1 2 compassion and reason in the review and approval of our disembarkation plan by Florida officials." The appeal came hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis said his state was willing to accept Floridians on board the cruise ships. "My concern is that we have worked so hard to make sure we have adequate hospital space in the event of a Covid-19 surge, we wouldn't want those valuable beds to be taken because of the cruise ship," DeSantis said. There are 808 guests and 583 crew on the Rotterdam and 442 guests and 603 crew on the Zaandam, according to Holland America. There are 311 American citizens, including 52 Floridians. Read more…. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/01/us/holland-america-zaandam-cruise-ship-florida/index.html https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article241681661.html https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11307727/florida-governor-ron-desantis-coronavirus-cruise-rescue/ 02 April, 2020: UPDATE on RCGS Resolute – it has now sunk a naval vessel. The Resolute had been heading north with no destination or ETA. RCGS Resolute arrived off the north coast of Trinidad late on March 25th and stopped overnight. On the morning of the 26th she rendezvoused with the tanker Kerkyra, out of Port of Spain, Trinidad, and presumably refueled. the ship then continued sailing when the ship suddenly began reporting that it was not under command on March 29 about 60 nautical miles off the north coast of Venezuela. the ship drifting at 1.knots less than 20 nautical miles off the uninhabited island of La Tortuga at 13:00 ET. Not under command is a navigational status indicating that the ship is unable to Maneuver in the water, and all vessels must keep clear. 9 nautical miles off La Tortuga island, and after several hours the ship began steaming again to the west giving Willemstad Curacao as the destination. In a story that probably couldn’t get much weirder, it now appears the RCGS Resolute collided with and Sunk the Venezuelan Offshore patrol Vessel GC-23 Naiguata at 00:45 on the 30th. the ship gave Willemstad Curacao as its destination yesterday, and arrived this morning where it remains at anchor. The Venezuelan government issued a release which reads (via google translate) On March 30, 2020, at 00:45, the Coast Guard «Naiguatá» (GC-23), of the Bolivarian Navy, being in maritime patrol tasks of our territorial sea, to the northwest of La Tortuga Island; It was boarded (collided) by the passenger ship “Resolute”, (122 meters long and 8300 tons of displacement), with the Portuguese flag, at the time it was undergoing a maritime traffic control procedure, which caused damage of great magnitude and caused the anxiety of the aforementioned coastguard. The action of the ship «Resolute» is considered cowardly and criminal, since it did not attend to the rescue of the crew, in breach of the international regulations that regulate the rescue of life at sea. This ship is currently in the port of Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao, where it docked in the morning of today. Our immediate search and rescue work, together with the professional and courageous performance of our personnel, allowed the full rescue of the crew. The Venezuelan State undertakes the corresponding legal actions. Chávez lives!… The Homeland continues! Independence and Socialist Homeland! … We will live and win! Always loyal!… Traitors never! In another statement, the Venezuelan government claims the ship was Illegally in Venezuelan waters. the statement reads (Again via google translate) Miraflores Palace, Caracas. – The head of state and Document prepared by A.L. Skinner Consulting Inc https://gusskinnerconsulting.com subject to changes / amendments pg. 2 3 government of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro Moros, asked the Curaçao authorities for maximum collaboration in the investigations of the Portuguese-flagged ship that entered the jurisdictional waters of Venezuela illegally. “We ask for the greater collaboration of the maritime, civil, police and military authorities of Curaçao and we will maintain coordination,” said the national president, also denouncing that this ship, docked from the morning hours in the city of Willemstad, collided against the Coast Guard «Naiguatá» (GC-23), causing its collapse, which was described as an act of aggression and piracy. Last Monday after midnight, the passenger ship “Resolute”, measuring 122 meters long and 8,300 tons of displacement, reached Venezuelan waters, 7 miles from La Tortuga Island, activating the Strategic Operational Command for what that a Venezuelan coast guard ship set sail to board this vessel. For his part, the Minister of Popular Power for Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, explained that the Venezuelan vessel activated the protocols established in international treaties, where he was ordered to go to the port of Margarita. “Being escorted, he decided to ram the Bolivarian navy ship, which caused its sinking,” he said. The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Popular Power for Defense have initiated the corresponding formalities at the diplomatic and military levels, respectively, to clarify this case. However, the Venezuelan state authorities do not rule out the hypothesis that it is a ship that “was transporting mercenaries to attack military bases in Venezuela, unloading them out there on the high seas.” Presidential Press / Andrelys Carrasquel Columbia Cruise Services has released a statement as well. It reads: “In the early morning hours of the 30th of March 2020 (local time), the cruise vessel RCGS RESOLUTE has been subject to an act of aggression by the Venezuelan Navy in international waters, around 13.3 nautical miles from Isla de Tortuga with 32 crew member and no passengers on board. When the event occurred, the cruise vessel RCGS RESOLUTE has already been drifting for one day off the coast of the island to conduct some routine engine maintenance on its idle voyage to its destination, Willemstad/ Curaçao. As maintenance was being performed on the starboard main engine, the port main engine was kept on standby to maintain a safe distance from the island at any time. Shortly after mid-night, the cruise vessel was approached by an armed Venezuelan navy vessel, which via radio questioning the intentions of the RCGS RESOLUTE’s presence and gave the order to follow to Puerto Moreno on Isla De Margarita. As the RCGS RESOLUTE was sailing in international waters at that time, the Master wanted to reconfirm this particular request resulting into a serious deviation from the scheduled vessel’s route with the company DPA. While the Master was in contact with the head office, gun shots were fired and, shortly thereafter, the navy vessel approached the starboard side at speed with an angle of 135° and purposely collided with the RCGS RESOLUTE.