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On Saturday, two cruise liners carrying only crew and no passengers docked in Oakland for a long stay, the Port of Oakland said. A third is expected to arrive on Sunday.
The Seven Seas Mariner Nassau pulled in at Howard Terminal and Oceania’s Regatta at the Outer Harbor Terminal. Both cruise lines are subsidiaries of Norwegian Cruise Lines.
The port said there are no reports of any coronavirus cases on the vessels, which could remain at berth for two or three months. Two of the ships will tie up at the city’s Outer Harbor Terminal, while the third will dock at Howard Terminal on the Oakland Estuary.
The federal government has banned cruises during the pandemic and most companies have stopped sailing. But around 100 ships carrying about 80,000 crew members are still at sea awaiting space to tie up.
“We’re a container port, but we’re still in the shipping business,” Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan said in a statement. “These ships are under federal requirements to report health concerns, and we understand that they haven’t had a history of coronavirus, so we’ll do what we can to help.”
No crew members are expected to disembark in Oakland. The news comes after the Grand Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland in March and offloaded hundreds of passengers, including many who ultimately tested positive for the virus.
Ports in Florida, Virginia and elsewhere will also be taking in cruise ships still at sea.
