Holland America Line announced today that all 747 crew members onboard the cruise ship Westerdam have tested negative for the novel coronavirus COVID-19. In a blog post, the cruise line said the Cambodian Ministry of Health issued a statement confirming the negative test results. MS Westerdam, which docked in Sihanoukville, Cambodia since February 13, will remain at the port for a few more days until its future itinerary is finalized.

“The Cambodian Ministry of Health has issued a statement confirming that all 747 crew onboard Westerdam have tested negative for COVID-19. This in addition to the announcement yesterday that 781 guests in Cambodia tested negative and were cleared to begin their travels home. All testing was conducted by the Pasteur Institute in Phnom Penh.

Twenty-five crew members were originally scheduled to disembark the ship on Feb. 15 at the end of their work contracts. They will now begin their travels home. The rest of the crew will remain on Westerdam to continue their work contracts.

This completes the testing ordered by the Cambodian Ministry of Health related to Westerdam. It is anticipated the ship will remain alongside in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, for a few more days until its future itinerary is finalized. The next scheduled cruise on Feb. 29 was previously canceled.” says Holland America Line statement.

The company also shared their sincere gratitude to Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun, the Cambodian Ministry of Health and other authorities in the country who have worked hard to get the guests home and help clear the crew.

“Our sincere gratitude also goes to the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia for all of its hard work and support. We also appreciate the embassies from several other nations that provided their vital assistance and our flag state of the Netherlands for its many efforts.

We would also like to thank the regional authorities from the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for their guidance.”