Cruise ship crew test negative for swine flu

Dozens of crew members and two passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship who were suspected of having swine flu have tested negative for the virus, the cruise operator said today.

In a statement, Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said 62 crew members and two passengers of the Voyager of the Seas cruise ship were immediately isolated after coming down with cold and flu-like symptoms, in accordance with standard procedure, but that “all crew members and the guests with symptoms tested negative for Influenza A”.

Still, they will “remain in isolation until they are symptom free,” the statement said.

That information contradicts comments by Alpes-Maritime regional spokeswoman Geraldine Soulier, who said about 60 crew members had been diagnosed with swine flu and confined to their cabins while the ship was in the French port of Villefranche-sur-Mer. She said 70 others were also suspected of having the illness and isolated.

Soulier said regional authorities had been informed of the diagnosis by Spain’s health authorities. The 60 had been diagnosed with the A-H1N1 virus upon boarding the ship in Barcelona, Spain, on July 26 and immediately placed in isolation. She said she had no information to indicate that the Spanish authorities’ diagnosis was incorrect.

The ship arrived in Villefranche-sur-Mer today as part of a Mediterranean tour, and local officials allowed the ship’s passengers to visit the town. The ship left tonight for the French port city of Marseille.

In its statement, Royal Caribbean said “the ill crew members have not affected the ship’s itinerary, or service levels onboard”.

The ship has a total of 1,500 crew members and 3,600 passengers.

The ship departed from Barcelona on a seven-night Mediterranean cruise scheduled to include port calls in Naples, Capri, Civitavecchia and Livorno in Italy and Marseilles, in France.