307 crew members leave ship at last

The 307 TT crew members aboard the Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Sea returned home on Tuesday night.

The workers were out at sea for 106 days before they returned to TT waters on June 12.

Family members waited for hours on Tuesday at the entrance of the Cruise Ship Complex, Port of Spain to catch a glimpse of their loved ones as they were escorted to quarantine facilities.

One cruise ship worker, who requested anonymity, expressed his disappointment over the government’s handling of their return.

“We are mentally and emotionally drained. Depression is a serious thing.”

He said being stuck on the ship has taken its toll on the crew, who have been at sea for months. He said he left home in August last year and was supposed to return on April 12.

“It seems they do not care about us,” he said, adding that all the other Caribbean crew members had been taken in by their government.

The remaining crew members have been tested three times, the results of which were all negative. They were told they would be allowed to disembark since June 26, but that was postponed to Tuesday morning.

Family members waited at the port, some from 10.30am, but the police escort did not leave until close to 9pm.

One mother expressed her frustration to Newsday. Nettifer Thomas said she had been in constant contact with her son aboard the ship.

“It’s the lies that brought us here,” she said. “These people were supposed to come home Friday, then they changed it to Saturday, then Tuesday.

"Then they called Tuesday morning and said they wanted to cancel again because of the riot in Port of Spain…but I decided I’m staying here. I did not move. I want my son. I had enough.”

Also outside the cruise complex were other Enchantment of the Sea employees, who returned home before TT's borders closed in March.

“This is an unfriendly port,” said one employee, who wanted to remain anonymous. Royal Caribbean "wouldn’t want to do business with Trinidad after this.”

She said the company treats its workers well and she knew he remaining crew members were being well taken cared of.

“They drop everybody home. All the crew members. Filipino, Indian, Mauritian. We were the last.”

Thomas said families were also told to provide sheets, pillowcases, and other amenities, because the facilities the crew members were being taken to did not have them.

They were not told where they were being taken.

A uniformed officer driving off the compound quickly greeted the family and said the crew would be taken for another 14 days' quarantine at six facilities but would not say where.

Newsday contacted family members on Wednesday who revealed the crew are at the Tacarigua Racquet Centre, Balandra, Caura, Debe, Sangre Grande and Couva.

They will be tested again on Thursday.

The Tacarigua cohort consists of an estimated 40 people who were considered low-risk, and will be allowed to leave on Saturday, pending test results.