MAE: 306 Romanian citizens on cruise ships in North America repatriated

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) on Thursday morning informed that 306 Romanian citizens and 6 foreign - members of their families - who worked on cruise ships in North America and The Caribbean.

MAE showed that, in continuing efforts to facilitate the return to the country of the Romanian citizens who were temporarily outside the country borders and were affected by the health protection measures and travelling restrictions adopted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, on Thursday morning it helped 306 Romanian citizens plus 6 foreign citizens - members of their families - a citizen from the Republic of Columbia, two citizens from Thailand and one citizen from the Italian Republic, a citizen from Serbia and one from North Macedonia, to return to the country.

MAE has made constant efforts and communicated with the companies owning the respective ships and also with the US authorities, through the Romanian Embassy in Washington and the consular offices in Miami and Los Angeles, to facilitate the repatriation of the Romanian citizens who travelled from the US to the Republic of Croatia (Dubrovnik), on board of a ship.

Moreover, the MAE, through the Romanian Embassy in Zagreb, made all the necessary steps with the Croatian authorities to facilitate the landing and transport of the Romanian citizens and their families' members to transfer them to Romania. They have been taken over by the Republic of Croatia with two charter flights by a private company, contracted by the employing company.

The repatriation procedures have been coordinated by the MAE through the Romanian Embassy in Washington and Zagreb and the General Consular Offices of Romania to Miami and Los Angeles.