Nancy Trejos
The cruise industry is showing off its altruistic side.
Some cruise lines have been donating their ships and other supplies to help people through the coronavirus outbreak.
Windstar Cruises donated seven pallets of produce and dairy to Feeding South Florida in Pembroke Park near Miami. The nonprofit is part of the Feeding America network, which supports food banks, pantries and meal programs across the country.
MSC Group's Grandi Navi Veloci division has converted its ferry ship Splendid into a floating hospital for patients with Covid-19 in Genoa, Italy. Italy has more than 80,000 coronavirus cases and 8,215 deaths.
Grandi Navi Veloci has been working with the Liguria Health System and Civil Protection in northwest Italy to increase the region's hospital capacity.
"The project has a high level of flexibility and scalability and can be quickly adapted to meet future needs of the Liguria Region as the Covid-19 emergency evolves," MSC Group said in a statement.
The ship is stationed at Ponte Colombo in Genoa's Ferry Terminal. It can provide 25 beds in single cabins, but the company said it can increase the capacity to 400 beds. It also has a helipad.
Several companies have donated supplies to equip the ship. They include computer company HP-Aruba, office supply provider Mantero Sistemi and bottling company Covim.
Carnival Corp. has also offered select ships to be used as hospitals, which would be used for noncoronavirus patients in order to free up land-based beds for those suffering from the virus. Carnival Corp. Chairman Micky Arison said that its ships from its many brands, including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia, could provide up to 1,000 hospital rooms.
President Trump has already ordered two Navy hospital ships to be deployed to New York Harbor and to the West Coast. He said he would use the Carnival ships if needed.
Cruise companies in the past likewise have engaged in humanitarian efforts, such as the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, when lines like Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International carried food and supplies to the Bahamas and MSC made its cargo ships available for deliveries. Norwegian Cruise Line ran a ship to St. Thomas after hurricane Irma in 2017 to evacuate travelers from hotels. And other lines have donated millions in relief efforts, either on their own or through charitable foundations.