Carnival Cruise Line announced it has worked closely with key Panamanian officials, including the Panama Minister of Maritime Affairs, The Panama Maritime Authority, the Panama Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Panama Ministry of Health, to allow for the safe and efficient transfer of crew members from the Carnival Miracle to cross the Isthmus of Panama via bus to join the Carnival Glory on the country’s opposite coast.

With the Carnival Miracle positioned on Panama’s Pacific coast, nearly 100 crew members boarded busses for a 90-minute chartered transfer to join the Carnival Glory which was docked on the country’s Atlantic side. Crew from other company ships will join the Carnival Glory which will sail to Curacao for charter and commercial flights to their home countries.

“Panamanian officials truly went above and beyond in helping our team members transit their country and to facilitate their return home and for that we are very grateful. We would like to express our most sincere appreciation and thanks to many government agencies, local maritime partners and private operators for their role in making this cross-country transfer happen. Efforts like this reinforce the benefits strong partnerships play in maritime operations and safety,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

As of this week, Carnival Cruise Line has repatriated nearly 20,000 team members from its 27 ships and expects to complete the work of getting more than 26,000 crew members home to more than 100 nations over the coming weeks.