Refueling operations for the Norwegian Jewel cruise ship finished at around 3 this morning and the liner is due to leave at first light today.
The cruise ship carrying 2,000 passengers including 749 Americans and a crew of more than 1,000 took on more than 200,000 gallons of fuel.
Coast Guard Lt Ryan Junod said fuel is all that the cruise ship took on, nothing else.
He said police stood guard the whole time that the cruise ship was at the fuel dock to make sure none of the passengers left the vessel.
As the liner sailed into the harbor yesterday, the passengers lined along the deck and watched, with some waving.
Sunrise Oil supplied the fuel while crews from Pacific Energy refueled the 960 ft vessel.
The Norwegian Jewel was refused entry in some Pacific island ports due to Coronavirus fears.
The liner left Sydney, Australia on February 28 and was due to visit Tahiti. However it was refused entry.
With many countries closing their borders because of COVID-19, the cruise ship was also refused permission to dock in Fiji and New Zealand.
In a press statement yesterday Governor Lolo Moliga said American Samoa was the last hope for the vessel to obtain fuel.
Coast Guard Captain Arex B. Avanni, Commander of the Coast Guard Honolulu Sector had informed the governor that the Norwegian Jewel did not have enough fuel to make the trip to Hawaii and there are 749 U.S. Citizens on board”.
Governor Lolo authorized the cruise ship to obtain fuel here to ensure it safely reaches Hawaii.
He stated, “I could not or would not in all good conscience turn my back on Americans in distress given that the Territory of American Samoa is part of the American Family in spite of the great risk to which our people are being subjected to by this decision”.
