Detained Vessel For Quarantine Set To Dock At Port Curacao Saturday

SMV Freewinds a vessel detained in St Lucas has reportedly  sailed to Curacao capital Willemstad .

 

According to ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.com ,reveals that a vessel identified as SMV Free winds set sail at 23:18 local time (03:18 GMT) and is due to dock at Curacao’s capital Willemstad at 06:00 on Saturday.

 

Online tracking data shows the ship – thought to be the Freewinds, owned and operated by the Church of Scientology – is en route to the island of Curacao.

 

Recall that Dr Merlene Fredericks James said on Thursday there was a confirmed case of measles on board and “thought it prudent that we quarantine the ship”.

 

Reports suggest the ship set sail after authorities delivered 100 vaccines.

 

The Dutch island lies about 65 km (40 miles) north of Venezuela, and the Associated Press reports authorities there are debating how to respond when it arrives.

 

NBC News, citing a St Lucia Coast Guard, reported that the boat was the Freewinds, a 440ft (134m) vessel owned and operated by the Church of Scientology, thought to have some 300 passengers on board.

 

The Church of Scientology’s Website lists the vessel’s home port as Curacao and describes the ship as “a religious retreat ministering the most advanced level of spiritual counseling”. So far the organisation has not commented on the case.

 

Earlier this week, US health officials reported that more than 700 people had been infected by measles this year, marking a 25-year high for cases of the infectious disease in the .

 

No-one aboard was allowed to leave the ship at St Lucia. Dr Fredericks James said in a video statement posted on YouTube on Tuesday that the ministry learned of the confirmed measles case from “two reputable sources”.