Repurposing a cruise ship as a hospital.

With commercial ships unable to operate until at least mid-April this year, Carnival Corporation has proposed repurposing some cruise ships as floating hospitals to serve patients requiring isolation for monitoring. This aims to alleviate the strain on US hospitals as the number of Covid-19 patients is expected to rise sharply.

The cruise ships that can be repurposed are: Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and P&O Cruises Australia. Each ship can provide up to 1,000 hospital beds. Rooms on these hospital cruise ships will be converted for remote patient monitoring. Each room will have a bathroom, a private balcony with sunlight and fresh air.

This hospital cruise ship also has the capacity to provide up to 7 standard ICU rooms and can be divided into "wards" thanks to the mobile movement of its decks.

Temporary vessels will be moored at a pier near the community, awaiting use when needed. The vessels will be operated by a crew responsible for all navigation, food, and cleaning. Medical services will be provided by the government or hospitals responsible for combating the spread of Covid-19 in that community.

President Trump had a personal conversation with Micky Arison, Chairman of Carnival Corp: “If you need ships to help during this time, Carnival is ready to help. Anywhere, whether it’s Los Angeles, New York, or Miami, they’re ready!”

The White House has ordered the deployment of two large Navy hospital ships. One will go to New York. The other will sail along the West Coast, with a planned stop in California or Seattle. Since the Covid-19 outbreak, cruise ships have adhered to strict hygiene procedures throughout their voyages. The shipping companies assert that all vessels are thoroughly disinfected between voyages.

My Tong