BBC

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The Msc Magnifica 's world cruise was The Last 117 Days before he Cut Short

The Last of The three cruise ships still dock sailing today, And One of them had an Odyssey like No Other .

The Msc Magnifica left Europe in January, and was in The Other corner of The World , when began to close the ports.

to go With nowhere to go, The Italian -owned ship began the long Journey Home . His Passengers , used to a new port every few days, last felt the country for Six Weeks .

On Monday, The Passengers finally disembarking in Marseille, After last landed in Wellington.

your journey has taken, the political storms, President's death ask for, and - despite everything - a lot of fun.

If the Magnifica on the left, Genoa, Italy, on 5. January, saw The World very differently.

The "unknown pneumonia", as it was called, had no name. No One had died, and only 59 people were infected, All In the city of Wuhan.

It is safe to Say that most of the Magnifica s 1,760 Passengers - especially Italian, French and German - had not heard of The Virus . And so, as they watched the sunset from The Boat , the Bar del Sole, or ate in the Quattro Venti restaurant is, spirits were high.

At the helm is Captain Roberto Leotta, of the Small Town of Riposto In Sicily . Captain Leotta on cruises for 32 years, After three years on tankers and in the Italian Navy

How many people from Riposto, his father and his grandfathers were sailors. "It is Something that is in my DNA," he says of The Bbc .

Captain Leotta: "sailing is a tradition in My Family , and a tradition in my city"

After you leave Europe, The Ship stopped at the Cape Verde Islands , off the West Coast of Africa, before The Atlantic ocean. By The Time she had docked in Brazil on 19 January, The Virus had left China, and Captain Leotta noted.

"We were always in contact with The Local authorities," he says. "[But it was] to South America , The Situation was more. "

The Ship left Chile on the 21st of February, reached Pitcairn island in the South Pacific , Three Days later. Now, cruise ships have been in The News .

- connections were. Passengers . And The Pacific island of Aitutaki - East of The International date line, the population of 2,000 - was worried.

cruise-ships and of the coronavirus

Business class "Magnifica" was due to the in Aitutaki , famous for its turquoise lagoon and the White Sand , the on 2. March. But as the coronavirus crawled grew closer to local concerns.

rely on The Cruise money, but she asked finally, The National Government of the Cook Islands - to ban All cruises. The Ship was allowed to dock in the capital city of Rarotonga, but not in Aitutaki .

For the First Time , Covid-19 had changed the plans of the Msc Magnifica Passengers .

One of these Passengers , Andy Gerber, who was then at the age of 69, from Bern in Switzerland. The Magnifica was his 20-cruise.

In Auckland - the nearest Station to the Cook Islands - he enjoyed a beer in the sun; in Napier, the Art Deco admired; in Wellington he drove with the cable car. But the important thing was Sydney, a week After Wellington, where he 70 wants to turn.

"a long time ago I made reservations to celebrate a steakhouse with a few Friends ," he tells The Bbc .

in Australia, the Magnifica Route was a blessing. In January, as the coronavirus originated in Asia, The Ship was not Far Away in South America , where The Virus is detected, until the end of February.

When it visited New Zealand , only five cases had been confirmed - All the travellers, or their partners or relatives.

But as the Magnifica attached to Tasmania to on 14 March, the Corona had caught a Virus, with the Cruise Ship . On The Island There were six cases, and things were getting worse and worse.

The Ship had permission to dock in Hobart, but Captain Leotta, that The Passengers may, with More Than souvenirs.

"We decided it was much better for our Passengers stay safe on Board," he says.

The World seemed so big when she left Genoa in January, was suddenly much smaller. "It was clear", says Captain Leotta, "that it is basically going nowhere. "

And so, in Sydney, The Captain of The News confirmed: The World of The Cruise was over. They were on the way home. The Trip of a lifetime half of the journey of life was to become.

Instead of the steakhouse, Andy Gerber celebrated his long-awaited 70 on Board The Ship , The Sights of Sydney, and they were mysterious in sight. How did he feel?

"in the beginning - terrible!", he says. "But After The Shock , we were very grateful that The Captain decided to Land as this meant that we the 99. 999% clean [of The Virus ]. "

If The Cruise was cancelled, The Passengers were allowed off - Under strict Conditions - in Sydney and Melbourne, if you wanted to make your own way home. A few hundred did so, but the majority settled down for the journey: five weeks, 12,000 miles [19,000 kilometers], and a whole new meaning for the long haul.

The Ship should be in the direction of the North to New Caledonia in the South Pacific Instead, he went to The South , and drove straight into a political Storm .

Andy Gerber celebrates his birthday on Board

If a Cruise Ship wants to dock, it is The Port with medical records need to show that There are no contagious diseases on Board.

As of the Magnifica face Fremantle to Western Australia , The Records showed approximately 250 guests visited the medical room in The Last Two Weeks . Many of them were for pain medication or dressings - routine visits. What is crucial is that There is no sign of Covid-19 on Board.

The Magnifica was just fine for refueling and encouraging a unit in Fremantle , not out. As he sailed up the coast, Captain Leotta was surprised to see the press conference of Western Australia 's Prime Minister Mark Mcgowan .

"Currently, More Than 250 Passengers [on the Magnifica] have reported the upper respiratory tract diseases," Mr McGowan announced.

"This Morning I contacted the Prime Minister ...I'm not going To Let that happen here.

"We will not allow to wander Passengers or crew members through The Streets . This is a non-negotiable Position . "

After Mr. McGowan's news conference, a small group of protesters greeted the Magnifica in Fremantle

Somehow, Mr McGowan had the wrong information. Wires were crossed. The Magnifica The News , when its Passengers were healthy and didn't get off anyway.

The Company insisted that There are no diseases of the respiratory tract or influenza symptoms on Board were. But Western Australia accused MSC "inconsistent advice" - Something MSC is denied.

one way or The Other , when it arrived in Fremantle , The Ship was welcomed by The Police and border guard force, to ensure that No One grew.

"Let us not Say that was nice," says Captain Leotta. "It was disappointing, especially because it was a fake news. It was wrong. And, as you can imagine, this news went around The World immediately. "

Despite the disagreements, the Magnifica resupply in Fremantle from was, in front of the heading. But it would lines soon again in shock.

Magnifica Passengers , photographed from The Shore in Fremantle

As the TV crews filmed the Magnifica in Fremantle , and the politicians gave press conferences, Anura-per year was Below Deck , out of sight, working hard, as usual.

As a chef on a Cruise Ship is hard enough as it is. It is even more difficult when The Passengers get off for meals. But Anura, Kandy in Sri Lanka , is used to Hard Work .

The 31-year-old was a chef for seven years, since graduating from the hotel school in Sri Lanka . After stints in his Home Country , he moved to the hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, before he at MSC in August 2017.

"In Dubai, the salary is too little, but I could not save much," he says. "So I decided, in The Cruise -line because I can save and I can travel The World . "

According to Australia, the Magnifica s plan was to sail to Dubai for a "technical stop". But even that became impossible, and so you decide to Colombo , capital of Sri Lanka .

do not want to now, sailing Anura Back To Europe. He would be quarantined, and if so, for how long? How would he get home?

And so he went to his bosses with a plan: let me off in Colombo .

Anura-per year his career has taken him around The World - this picture was taken in Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina

Although it made sense, Sri Lanka would not allow anyone from the Board go to. He would have to see to appear to his home, And Then disappear Under the deck.

So, at the 4. April - Two Days before the Colombo Anura, while wearing his chef's whites, recorded a 94-second video message for the Sri Lankan President and the Prime Minister . Let me, He Said in Sinhalese. I'm the only one from Sri Lanka on Board. It is too hard to get back from Italy.

italy, sailing, coronavirus pandemic, australia, sydney, sri lanka, cruise ships

Source of news: bbc.com