A large group of Australian doctors have been trapped on board a cruise ship off the coast of Chile after the country tightened its travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Australian doctors were attending a conference on board the MS Roald Amundsen — one of many ships stranded off the Chilean port of Punta Arenas.
In response to the pandemic, the Chilean Government closed its ports to cruise vessels until September 30, which has prevented the MS Roald Amundsen from disembarking.
The ship was due to dock at Punta Arenas on Tuesday (local time) following a 16-day Antarctica Expedition Cruise.
In a statement sent to the ABC, the company said it was working closely with the Chilean Government and embassies to get the guests home safely in a timely manner.
"Our passengers and crew are our top priority and all are well. Our taskforce'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," said Damian Perry, the managing director Asia Pacific of Hurtigruten.
There have been no cases of coronavirus on the ship and all passengers and crew are in good health, according to the company.
The MS Roald Amundsen is a small ship that carries fewer than 500 passengers.
