Metal corpus of the ship (moisture, condensation, mold, lower temperature). Creates confined spaces.

Cold air currents when the ship is moving. Some cabins have a terrace. Other passengers use the common outside viewing decks.

Vibrations from the ship's engine disturb, days on end, the normal liquid environment (intracellular, extracellular) within which cells live, function, reproduce. The vestibular apparatus suffers as well.

Cleanliness - dubious. Could use the toilet brush to clean also the toilet seat and the sink with (as in many hotels around the world). Apparently, nothing wrong with that. :O

Lack of adequate ventilation (probably, the air conditioning system is linked between rooms at the same level).

Fresh water purity (absent - onboard water desalination; when were the filters last changed?).

Bacteria and viruses jump from sea water onto skin, in nose and throat via water droplets in the air. When humid, one inhales deeper. Boy, is this not helpful!

Toilets and shower waste water outlets connected - water pressure differential due to movement of the ship (esp. side to side). Splashes in the bathroom.

Rats, cockroaches, ants (need no introduction).

Goodness! What a long list, is not it?

Could be even longer.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries should have some idea as to how long...

:)

P.S. Last, but not least Yangtze river, which passes through Wuhan and, on its way, gathers the Han river, goes into East China Sea.

I think that the vulnerability of ships for the expansion of covid 19 infections depends on the fact that they are closed communities. In fact, it is now established that the greatest extent of the disease and, above all of the deaths, throughout the world has occurred in the homes for the elderly. In both cases, ships and homes for elderly, besides the fact of being closed communities with little possibility of outward movements, the poor health level, in particular a specialist one that could make it possible to identify a completely unknown disease up to 3/4 months ago, has definitely played a role!

A ship is like a floating petri dish for SARS-CoV-19

Ships are more vulnerable to COVID-19 due to lack of ability to isolate an affected person and quarantine the contacts particularly when it is at deep sea because of limited availability of healthcare staff, and the space constraints. In case of emergency, such ships depend heavily on the cooperation of the country where it is docked. This why many ships had Coronavirus outbreaks. The famous one of them were the Diamond Princess and Grand Princess and a US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt.

Such a ships is akin to a floating petri dish for SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19.

Further reading

Article Estimating the asymptomatic proportion of coronavirus diseas...

Article COVID-19 outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship: estim...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/22/world/asia/coronavirus-japan-cruise-ship.html

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/pdfs/mm6912e3-H.pdf

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/20/politics/theodore-roosevelt-covid-investigation-navy-cdc/index.html

Some travelers may be carrying the virus or infected with the virus where quarantine and isolation procedures are not available and in any case the virus will be transmitted on to elderly and vulnerable people. In turn, they will transmit the disease to their families and surroundings in their areas of residence.

Thanks Muhammad, I like your petri dish theory.

I agree with all that has been posted so far.

In addition, most of these ships will have air conditioning systems, which may well circulate virus particles to the non-infected passengers and crew, thus helping to disseminate the infection more widely.

Bw

Chris Ide

If the air conditioning theory is established, will aeroplane, metro and bus be a vulnerable place too?

Sunny,

They already are!

Bw

Chris Ide

@ Christopher William Ide

Air conditioning theory is based on people eating in the same air-conditioned restaurant (not a ship) in China developing COVID-19 (1). However, it had to do more with cluster of SARS-CoV-19 patients coming together than the air conditioning, because none of the staff-members working at the restaurants were affected.

It possibly is more related to disruption of social distancing measures that can happen in eating places as well as ships, planes, trains, and buses etc.

1. Article COVID-19 Outbreak Associated with Air Conditioning in Restau...

Muhammad Yousuf @Muhammad,

You've raised a very important point there! Especially since, if the enjoyed each others company, they would likely repeatedly meet for meals, and dining tables are not usually two metres (6 1/2 foot) wide.

Just one thing, though - II've only been able to read the abstract of the paper, but it's not clear how many crew members were involved, and if any of them were asymptomatic carriers, or if any subsequently developed CoVID-19 infection.

Bw

Chris Ide

Close quarters and recirculated air

1 "Ships as a most popular place for elderly" ) //

2 Geography and climatic conditions in which the cruise takes place ... in cold conditions the risk of death is much higher (Dimond Princess); in warmer climate - less (Panama?)

3 In my opinion, airplanes can act as a high risk factor - because the air on board is very dry

Alex

Alex N Ishmatov Alex,

You're right - cruise vessels are very popular for elderly people, but I wouldn't think that the external climate would have a great deal to do with mortality on cruise ships. If the outside temperature was very cold - eg, cruises in the polar regions, then I would expect that most of the passengers would stay inside the vessel, and enjoy the view from one of the lounges, restaurants or their cabin. Similarly, if in the tropics, the temperature is uncomfortably hot or humid, they would return within the ship.

However, they may be exposed to the external climate if they leave the ship for a shore trip to visit penguins or a seal colony, or a bazaar.

Bw

Chris Ide

Dear Chris Ide,

You may find more details over this link

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/7/20-0764_article

Sunny

Preprint Evidence for probable aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in ...

Metal corpus of the ship (moisture, condensation, mold, lower temperature). Creates confined spaces.

Cold air currents when the ship is moving. Some cabins have a terrace. Other passengers use the common outside viewing decks.

Vibrations from the ship's engine disturb, days on end, the normal liquid environment (intracellular, extracellular) within which cells live, function, reproduce. The vestibular apparatus suffers as well.

Cleanliness - dubious. Could use the toilet brush to clean also the toilet seat and the sink with (as in many hotels around the world). Apparently, nothing wrong with that. :O

Lack of adequate ventilation (probably, the air conditioning system is linked between rooms at the same level).

Fresh water purity (absent - onboard water desalination; when were the filters last changed?).

Bacteria and viruses jump from sea water onto skin, in nose and throat via water droplets in the air. When humid, one inhales deeper. Boy, is this not helpful!

Toilets and shower waste water outlets connected - water pressure differential due to movement of the ship (esp. side to side). Splashes in the bathroom.

Rats, cockroaches, ants (need no introduction).

Goodness! What a long list, is not it?

Could be even longer.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries should have some idea as to how long...

:)

P.S. Last, but not least Yangtze river, which passes through Wuhan and, on its way, gathers the Han river, goes into East China Sea.

Perfect Answer Valeria!

Please go through the Nature News Report.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00885-w

There's no place to hide.