Columbus

The MV Columbus birthed at Tilbury on Thames.

The MV Columbus was partway into a 120-night world cruise when owners Cruise and Maritime Voyages went into administration.

The 907 passengers and 619 crew then faced a month-long, 7,842 repatriation voyage back to the company’s home base of Tilbury. Since 14th April 2020, she has sat patiently waiting across the river from Gravesend.

At the start of the pandemic, much of the news was made by the outbreaks on cruise ships. It seems likely Columbus will be waiting, our ever-present symbol of the pandemic, until Coronavirus is behind us.