Cruise Lines have started to respond and help the Caribbean island of St. Vincent as the government has issued an urgent evacuation due to an imminent volcanic eruption.
Carnival Cruise Line is one of the first cruise lines to offer help with evacuations and two vessels are already underway heading towards the island. Royal Caribbean has one ship on the way and Celebrity Cruises has two vessels that will arrive on Thursday night.
Cruise Ships Race to Help Caribbean Island
The cruise lines have confirmed that it has agreed to send two vessels to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, located in the southeast Caribbean. The government has issued an urgent evacuation after days of increased seismic activity at the La Soufriere Volcano.
The Volcano could erupt at any time and on Thursday, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves issued an evacuation order. And the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) has tweeted that residents are being moved to safer locations. According to UWI Professor Richard Robertson, the situation at La Soufriere has deteriorated and signals show that the volcano could erupt shortly.
With Carnival Cruise Line currently on hold due to suspended operations, there are ships that can help. The Carnival Paradise is expected to arrive at the island by 11:00 AM on Friday and the Carnival Legend will arrive at around 2:00 PM also on Friday.
Each of the Carnival ships will accommodate up to 1,500 residents and they will then be transported to one of the nearby islands which are offering help including St. Lucia and Barbados. The cruise line has also stated that precautions will be in place to protect the health and safety of the crew members on board.
It has also been confirmed by NEMO in a tweet that a Royal Caribbean cruise ship is arriving tonight to help with evacuations. According to our Cruise Ship Tracker, Serenade of the Seas is currently near the island.
Royal Caribbean Stated:
Both cruise lines are working closely with St. Vincent authorities to assist residents most at risk. Royal Caribbean International’s Serenade of the Seas and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Reflection are on their way to the island nation and are expected to arrive later this evening to assist with evacuation efforts.
Celebrity Reflection which is operated by Celebrity Cruises is on her way towards the island along with Celebrity Silhouette not far behind. The two vessels and Serenade of the Seas are expected to arrive at St. Vincent on Thursday night.
More cruise ships could be planning to help with the emergency situation the Caribbean island is facing.
What is La Soufrière Volcano?
The La Soufrière Volcano is located towards the north of the island in Windward islands and it last erupted back in 1979. The volcano has been showing signs of activity since December 2020 but is now expected to erupt. La Soufrière is the highest peak in St. Vincent.
