Department of Transportation

Ship’s propulsion system damaged en route to Hawaii

HONOLULU – The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) Harbors Division, state officials and the Norwegian Cruise Line leadership are coordinating a plan for the arrival of the Norwegian Jewel cruise ship. The ship experienced propulsion problems that require repairs at the next port, which is Honolulu Harbor. The repairs must be made without passengers onboard, which has prompted the change to allow the passengers to disembark. No passengers or crew will disembark on Sunday, March 22, 2020.

There are no confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 associated with the 2,000 passengers or 1,000 crewmembers on the Norwegian Jewel. Passengers embarked on February 28 in Sydney, Australia and were last able to disembark in Fiji on March 11.

“A detailed plan is being developed with Norwegian Cruise Line that keeps passengers isolated to avoid any potential strain on Hawaii’s resources, while also addressing the well-being of the cruise line passengers who have been at sea for a very long time,” said Director Jade Butay, Hawaii Department of Transportation. “Because of the additional precautions we are taking in response to the COVID-19 crisis, it will take some time to transport these passengers safely to their chartered planes and we thank the public for its cooperation and understanding.”

Additional information regarding the plan to transport the cruise passengers directly from the ship to their chartered planes without contact with the public at large will be made available as the logistics are finalized.

Cruise ships are on a 30-day pause in operations that took effect March 14, 2020. The Norwegian Jewel was already underway and had not planned to travel to the United States.

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