Carnival Cruise Line worked closely with key Panamanian officials to transfer about 100 crew members by bus from a ship in the Pacific to one on the Atlantic.
The 90-minute bus transfer across the Isthmus of Panama was seen as a faster, easier way to transfer the workers from the Carnival Miracle to the Carnival Glory, which will take them to Curacao for charter and commercial flights to their home countries.
"Panamanian officials truly went above and beyond in helping our team members transit their country and to facilitate their return home and for that we are very grateful," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
Among those agencies and officials assisting were the Panama Minister of Maritime Affairs, The Panama Maritime Authority, the Panama Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Panama Ministry of Health.
As of this week, Carnival Cruise Line has repatriated nearly 20,000 team members from its 27 ships and expects to complete the work of getting more than 26,000 crew members home to more than 100 nations over the coming weeks.
The repatriation efforts have been herculean during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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