(Corrects paragraph 2 to show figure is interior volume, not
weight)
By Neil Jerome Morales and Karen Lema
MANILA, May 11 (Reuters) - In the past few weeks, Manila Bay
in the Philippines has been transformed into the world's biggest
parking lot for cruise ships, none of which have any guests.
More than 20 vessels with a combined volume of about 2
million tonnes are clustered off the coast of the capital,
awaiting coronavirus clearance for more than 5,300 Philippine
staff to return home from abandoned cruises, with no guarantee
of a job at sea again.
More ships are set to join the flotilla, says the coast
guard, which has been shuttling between ships to administer
4,991 virus tests for crew quarantined for the 14 days mandatory
for repatriates. No suspected cases have been reported.
(To see related graphic, click on https://tmsnrt.rs/3drE2QG)
Crew told Reuters they were bored, lonely or frustrated
being so close to home, but felt fortunate to be confined to
their cabins in comfort, knowing that thousands of Philippine
returnees are in tougher quarantine conditions elsewhere.
"Each person is staying in a suite room - We feel like the
guests now," joked Michael Torralba Martinez, speaking from one
of the cabins that he normally cleans.
"We feel safer here ... Standards are strict in ships when
it comes to cleanliness and sanitation," he said in an online
chat.
Martinez, 33, and the father of two, gave Reuters a virtual
tour of his room, one of 1,011 on the 15-deck Sun Princess,
where 225 quarantined Philippine staff were being served by
colleagues from countries such as China, India and Indonesia.
He displayed photographs of room-service meals, his double
bed, balcony and flatscreen television, plus daily puzzles and
activities like origami and bingo, to keep entertained in rooms
guarded by security staff.
"If someone is caught leaving the room, quarantine is back
to day zero for everyone. So no one dares," he added.
At least 15 ships in the Manila flotilla are owned by
subsidiaries of cruise giant Carnival Corp CCL.N , including
Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises Australia and Princess
Cruises, of which three ships were hotbeds for infections. Those
firms did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters.
The return is bittersweet for some, a chance to be home
again with less risk of prolonged exposure to an outbreak, but
soon jobless and facing dim employment prospects in an industry
brought to a virtual standstill by outbreaks, travel bans and
flight cuts.
'HAPPY AND SAD'
"When I learned we'll be sent back home, I was happy and sad
at the same time. Sad because I'll lose my job, but happy
because I can be with my family," said Jenison Herrera of the
housekeeping staff of the Queen Elizabeth.
The ship has been quarantined since April 20 and without
passengers since March 14, a month into Herrera's nine-month
contract, when owners in Australia decided to halt services and
sail home the 530 Philippine crew.
"Those who are not in quarantine are the ones who give our
needs. We call them 'frontliners'," Herrera 33, said of
colleagues. "Even the highest positions in the ship."
It is too soon to gauge the impact of the virus on the
estimated 500,000 Philippine seafarers, who sent home $6.5
billion in 2019, a fifth of the country's remittance income, the
central bank says.
Ace Rodrin Catibayan, 34, a waiter on the Costa Venezia, is
awaiting the outcome of on-board tests. Although he is certain
those are negative, he is worried about his income and possible
stigma at home from the attention focused on cruise outbreaks.
"For sure it would take time before we can go onboard again.
It would be a long wait for us to make a living," he said.
"I'll try to apply again or start a small business. But I
really want to go back on the ship because I earn higher here."
Jose Albar Kato, who heads the Philippines' International
Maritime Association and its federation for seafarers'
employers, was not surprised to see the giant huddle off Manila
of cruise ships, each the length of two to three soccer fields.
Philippine staffers formed the largest contingent on most
cruise ships, he said, so it made sense to park in Manila Bay.
"On average 30% to 40% of crew are Filipinos," Kato told
Reuters. "It's a big saving for the owner to just wait it out
here."
Buffet steward Arnold Salarda, 31, has been with the Golden
Princess for six years and started his quarantine on May 3.
Though deadly outbreaks on other Princess ships have been a
constant worry for his family, he hopes to be the first in line
to be rehired when virus infections slow and cruises resume.
"We were told by the company, by the time they resume
operations, they will prioritise us, the old crew," he said.
"But we don't know when that will happen, because the number
of cases is still ballooning."
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GRAPHIC-Cruise ship cluster off the coast of Manila https://tmsnrt.rs/3drE2QG
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(Writing and additional reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by
Clarence Fernandez)