Coronavirus: cruise liner thanks Dubai as it departs for Europe

The Aida Prima was forced to head to port due to the coronavirus pandemic

Passengers disembark another cruise ship in the Aida family, the Aida Aura, after its arrival in Sharjah. Courtesy: Sharjah Tourism

A cruise ship forced to dock in Dubai at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic has thanked the city as it prepares to set sail for Europe.

The Aida Prima was touring the Arabian Gulf when firms began suspending operations last month.

The liner sailed to Dubai and the Port Rashid where it has since been looked after by authorities.

Its passengers were flown home and the ship is now due to sail to Europe on Saturday with a skeleton crew.

On Wednesday, as a way of thanking Dubai for their time in the city, staff bid farewell with a personal touch.

The ship’s windows were lit up to spell out the message “shukraan Dubai. We love 2 c u again”.

“Our crew on board is fine,” a spokesman for Aida Cruises said.

“However, they miss their guests and their regular operations.

“They wanted to say a thank you to Dubai and send Easter greetings to the Aida fans.”

The Aida Prima is a 300m liner capable of carrying 3,300 passengers.

Owned by the Carnival Corporation, it was not under quarantine and did not have any coronavirus cases on board.

The Covid-19 pandemic has proved a PR disaster for many operators in the cruise industry.

Some ships have been likened to floating petri dishes after the virus spread to hundreds of passengers.

The Diamond Princess, which is owned by the same parent company as the Aida Prima, was quarantined off Japan after one passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong tested positive.

In total, 712 passengers subsequently caught the virus and 12 died.

The UAE suspended cruises operating out of the country last month due to the pandemic.

Dubai has grown to become a major winter cruise destination and welcomed more than 800,000 during the 2018 to 2019 season - about five ships per day.

It is a home winter port for several major liners and a stop-off for many others.