Bad luck continues to hit Virgin Voyages, Valiant Lady forced to stop due to Covid
Some might begin to think that the new cruise line wanted by Richard Branson, the billionaire brand owner [...]
Some might begin to think that the new cruise line wanted by Richard Branson, the billionaire owner of the Virgin brand, was born under the wrong moon.
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The first ship "Scarlet Lady", built in Genoa at Fincantieri shipyards, was delivered to the owner in mid-February 2020. Her first tour, however, did not last long: she left first in the direction of London (where Branson himself came aboard) and then headed for the Bahamas, where she was supposed to celebrate her christening and maiden cruise. But Covid-19 arrived.
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Famous was Branson's interview aboard the ship downplaying the early warnings of the pandemic that has in fact stalled and continues to stall, except for rare exceptions, the restart of the cruise industry. The Scarlet Lady has never since operated a cruise or rather arrived in the Caribbean and Then she went back to Genoa to do the "cutting", it is still unclear when it will debut.
Only last Friday, Scarlet's twin sister ship, the second of 3 planned, christened Valiant Lady has left the Genoa shipyard to head offshore for all appropriate testing, but a coronavirus cluster broke out on board resulting in an "unscheduled" stop in the port of Marseille.
According to the findings of the maritime health offices, these would be Four people including employees of Fincantieri and other outside firms. None of them would be in serious condition. On board the ship are about 450 people among seafarers, technicians, naval engineers, employees of Virgin and the Italian Naval Registry, which will have to issue the necessary certifications for navigation.
Prior to the exit from Sestri Ponente, a strict security protocol aimed at creating a kind of "bubble" around the ship. Personnel on board are required to wear Ffp2 masks and observe scrupulous anti-contagious regulations.