Navy receives Sri Lankan Chef on cruise ship

• Chef who appealed to be allowed into the country received by Navy
• A 75-year-old German national also brought ashore for treatment

The Sri Lanka Navy, under the instructions of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, yesterday helped a Sri Lankan employed on the MSC Magnifica luxury cruise ship to return to Sri Lanka when it docked in Colombo.

There are 2,700 passengers and crew members on board of the cruise, which commenced the voyage on 5 January. However the cruise was halted in Australia because of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

As all the ports rejected the request by the ship it was anchored at the Colombo Port on its way back to Italy for refuelling and other needs.

The only Sri Lankan crew member of the ship, Anura Bandara Herath, appealed to the President via Facebook to intervene to enable him to enter the country during the ship’s short stay at the port of Colombo, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.  

Upon seeing the Facebook video, the President instructed Sri Lanka Navy Commander Vice Admiral Piyal de Silva to look into the matter.

The Rapid Response Team of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Unit of the Sri Lanka Navy received Herath yesterday.

The team also assisted in bringing in a 75-year old German woman, who was ailing, for treatment.

The Sri Lankan crew member was sent to the quarantine centre in Boossa while the German national was transferred to the National Hospital in Colombo, Vice Admiral Piyal de Silva said.