After the order by the NSW Police all cruise ships to leave Australian waters and return to their home ports, P&O Australia has decided its cruise ships will set sail to the Philippines and Indonesia to bring their crew members back home. The company primary focus right now is the common safety of all the crew and to get as many of the crew home as soon as possible.
P&O Australia received an order and can’t touch Australian ports any more as the Australian government has now required that all Non-Australian registered cruise ships to leave Australian waters promptly.
The cruise ship Pacific Explorer has already left Australian waters and is off to the Philippines. The ship will slow down the speed and wait for their sister ships Sun Princess and Sea Princess to arrive at the rendezvous point and set sail together. Soon to join Explorer are Pacific Aria and Pacific Dawn which will also sail to Asia.
P&O Australia is working with the governments of Indonesia and the Philippines to seek approval for the return of their citizens. The company is also working on charter flights for the non-essential crew from other nations.
In a video message, Carnival Australia President Sture Myrmell expressed his disappointment from the order by NSW Police for P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Explorer to leave the country saying:
"This is particularly sad and disappointing day, and a terrible blow for a vital part of the tourism sector. Our homegrown brand P&O Australia has been cruising in Australia and the south pacific for 88 years. it has been a backbone of the cruising industry" Mr. Myrmell said " Yet today, NSW Police instructed Pacific Explorer to leave Sydney harbor, the ship's home port. It is unprecedented for Australians homegrown cruise line to be ordered to leave Australia. This is not only disappointing to us but also to all Australians whose livelihood depends on cruising. In terms of our ships, we only wanted the opportunity to take them out of service and keep them and their crew safe until this is all over, and it will be over one day."
