Probe into Food Contamination in Case of Coral Princess Cruise Crew and Passengers Falling Ill in October 2024

Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment regarding the 70 passengers and crew members who fell ill on the Coral Princess cruise that departed Singapore on 17 October 2024 (a) whether the source of contamination has been traced to supplies loaded in Singapore; and (b) if so, what corrective and preventive measures will be taken for food supplies loaded into cruises departing from Singapore.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: As the Coral Princess was due to arrive at a United States (US) port 1 , the outbreak investigation was undertaken by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Based on the CDC's report 2 , there was no link between the source of contamination to supplies loaded in Singapore.

Note(s) to Question No(s) 24:

1 The CDC conducts outbreak investigations on ships sailing in the US or within 15 days of arriving at a US port and when 3% or more of the ship's passengers or crew members report being sick with acute gastroenteritis symptoms. (Source: CDC. AGE Outbreak Response. 20 November 2024. www.cdc.gov/vessel-sanitation/php/our-role/outbreak-response.html).

2 Source: CDC. Coral Princess November 2024. 20 November 2024. www.cdc.gov/vessel-sanitation/cruise-ship-outbreaks/coral-princess-november-2024.html.