Two of the three ships of P&O Cruises Australia, the Sydney based contemporary market unit in Carnival Corp & plc group, will take a disaster relief mission role after a cyclone that hit Vanuatu as part of their forthcoming cruises, the company said on Facebook
Pacific Dawn and Pacific Pearl are now scheduled to call at Port Vila. Pacific Dawn will be the first to call there. The immediate focus is Pacific Dawn. Working with Save the Children, Pacific Dawn will be carrying a range of aid including food, bottled water, tents that can shelter up to 450 people and more than 4500 square metres of tarpaulins. We are seeking advice on how guests can contribute to the relief effort. We will provide further updates on this.
Pacific Dawn will visit Noumea and Lifou as scheduled before sailing to Vila for a brief stay on Wednesday to deliver the humanitarian aid. Vila is still in a state of emergency. As a result, the call will be limited to just the few hours needed for unloading.
“While the port is not yet officially open we anticipate it will be in a position to accept this brief visit for humanitarian relief purposes. With such a difficult situation on the ground, passengers will be unable to leave the ship in Vila however we are confident they will understand given the urgent humanitarian nature of the call,” P&O Cruises Australia said.
“We are also preparing for Pacific Pearl’s call at Vila on Saturday, March 28. Pearl will also be carrying humanitarian aid. The scale of the emergency in Vanuatu is unprecedented in the South Pacific and the calls to Vila by Pacific Dawn and Pacific Pearl are part of our overall response.”
“To date, we have committed AUD300,000 to Save the Children's relief efforts in Vanuatu comprising AUD150,000 from Carnival Australia on behalf of its cruise brands and AUD150,000 from Carnival Corporation & plc Chairman Micky Arison through his family foundation. For our Pacific Dawn and Pacific Pearl guests, these cruises will involve being part of a humanitarian mission to help the very special people of Vanuatu,” the company said.
