Coronavirus: Call to investigate Artania cruise owners for sailing into storm

Operators of the cruise ship Artania should be investigated for gross negligence, a former head of WorkSafe WA says.

A crew member aboard the Artania while moored at Fremantle. Picture: Colin Murty

Operators of the German cruise ship Artania should be investigated for gross negligence in sailing on for nearly six weeks after the Diamond Princess was quarantined at Yokohama with 252 corona­virus cases.

Former WorkSafe WA head Neil Bartholomaeus said WA police should investigate whether the operators broke laws in continuing to carry passengers after the COVID-19 threat was known. “They must be investigated by WA police,” he said. “NSW police are investigating the Ruby Princess and West Australians deserve similar attention to justice.”

Australian Border Force allowed the Artania to extend its stay in Fremantle for cleaning, but that ­expires on Friday.

Mr Bartholomaeus said WorkSafe WA successfully prosecuted an employee in charge of a fishing vessel that sailed into Cyclone Bobby in 1995 without heeding weather warnings, threatening the safety of the crew. “Similarly now, cruise ship operators have sailed into viral storms infecting crew and passengers and must be investigated,” he said.

But Premier Mark McGowan said he would “like to see the ship leave as soon as possible”.

About 800 passengers have been flown home to Frankfurt but 50 passengers and crew have ­tested positive for coronavirus. Some remain in hospital and a German national in his 60s died last week at Joondalup Health Campus. About 440 crew ­remain on board under strict isolation amid fears of more cases. Efforts are being made to arrange emergency charter flights for about 357 non-essential crew, mainly from The Philippines and Indonesia, with a skeleton crew to sail out of Australian waters.

“The deadly consequences of ignoring the precedent of the Diamond Princess should have been foreseeable by the operators of the Artania,” Mr Bartholomaeus said.