Attendees at a medical conference cruise on the Roald Amundsen vessel have been prevented from disembarking due to Covid-19 restrictions

This article is more than 6 months old

This article is more than 6 months old

More than 100 Australian doctors and dentists are trapped on board a cruise ship that is currently stuck off the coast of Chile after the country banned cruise ships from docking in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Roald Amundsen, owned by cruise company Hurtigruten, is one of several stranded off the Chilean port of Punta Arenas, and has a capacity of less than 500 passengers.

Chile has banned cruise vessels from docking until September after an elderly passenger on one cruise ship tested positive for coronavirus.

The country’s health minister, Jaime Mañalich announced the ban on Twitter on Sunday.

Jaime Mañalich (@jmanalich) Hemos decidido prohibir la recalada en todo puerto chileno de cruceros a partir de las 8:00 de mañana domingo. Se implementará por DIRECTMAR. https://t.co/pxDkVjmHYf

Guardian Australian has confirmed more than 100 doctors, dentists and medical experts from Australia were on board for a 10-night cruise to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and the Chilean Fjords as part of a combined medical and dental conference put on by Unconventional Conventions.

Speakers at the event include Prof Gordian Fulde AO, Dr Glenn Rice-McDonald and associate professor Peter S Hamblin, according to the guide for the conference. The convention host is an accredited education provider with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

The cruise departed on 29 February, and was due to return on Tuesday, docking at the port the ship is currently blocked from docking.

The ship’s live cam shows the vessel sitting stationary off the coast.

The cruise company, Hurtigruten said it was working with the Chilean government, local authorities, embassies, airports and airlines to arrange disembarkation as soon as possible.

“Our passengers and crew are our top priority and all are well. Our task force’s focus is to get all passengers home as quickly and safely as possible and we are regularly updating our passengers on board with our plans to get them home,” says Damian Perry, managing director of Hurtigruten Asia Pacific.

The company said guests were in good spirits and there have been no cases of coronavirus on board.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was aware of the situation and was ready to provide consular assistance.

Guardian Australia has sought comment from the conference organisers.

A Sacramento lawyer, Bill Portanova, on the ship with his wife told the Sacramento Bee that the captain had been trying to negotiate to land somewhere for days.

“We’re offshore and, apparently, the story we got is that they worked something out where we would be taken to the port, health-screened, removed from the ship with masks and gloves directly into buses and straight to the airport,” Portanova said.

“But some locals got wind of the plan and there was some kind of a protest, so the deal fell through.”

The ship launched last year, and has three restaurants, a gym and wellness centre, an infinity pool and hot tubs.

Celebrity Eclipse, a ship with a capacity of close to 3,000, has also been refused docking in Chile since the ban, BuzzFeed News reported.

Chile had reported 155 confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Monday, when president Sebastián Piñera announced Chile would close its borders to foreigners from Wednesday.

Other countries to ban cruise ships docking include Australia, Colombia, Greece, Italy, Montanegro and Portugal.

Several cruise companies have decided to suspend cruises for the near future.