470 seamen to sail into Goa on Sun

Panaji: The second biggest sign-off of seafarers in the state is expected to take place at Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) on Sunday. Goa will be the first port of call for the Norwegian cruise liner, Norwegian Escape, aboard which there are 470 Goan seamen, ports secretary and nodal officer for stranded seafarers P S Reddy, told TOI.
The vessel will then go to Mumbai where the rest of its crew will disembark.
“The cruise liner was supposed to go directly to Mumbai and the company wasn’t agreeing to bring the seafarers directly to Goa. We managed to convince it and the government has received confirmation,” Reddy said.
The vessel carrying seafarers who were stranded in various parts of Europe has already crossed the Suez Canal and will arrive in Goa late Sunday night or Monday.
The same SOP followed for the 1,450 Goans who arrived at MPT last week aboard Celebrity Infinity will be adhered to. The seafarers will be tested and sent back on board until their results arrive. Once tested negative, they will proceed on home quarantine, Reddy said.
All the 1,450 Goan seafarers who signed off at MPT last week tested negative.
Another 360 Goan seafarers stranded on different vessels in the UK, who were sent on chartered flights to Mumbai and were then put on flights to Goa, arrived on Tuesday. Three from the group were not permitted to board the plane to Goa and will be arriving by train.
The crew from six different vessels were put onto one vessel in the UK at the beginning of the month, before they were brought to Goa.
Also, 116 Goan seafarers stranded in Barbados arrived in Goa on a chartered flight on Tuesday morning and have been quarantined.