The Diamond Princess had been held at Yokohama port since the beginning of February and had the highest number of coronavirus cases outside of mainland China, from where the virus is believed to have originated. At least 705 people on the vessel contracted the virus and six people died.

On Sunday, the last of the crew members left the vessel and its Italian captain, Gennaro Arma, who had vowed to stay on board until everyone else had left, was the final person to disembark, the newspaper Corriere della Sera reported.

Arma faced the greatest leadership challenge of his career in keeping passengers’ spirits up as they were stuck on board, sometimes in windowless cabins.

He sent regular updates and messages of support to his passengers, such as, “I am confident that remaining united as a family, we will successfully complete this journey together,” Singapore newspaper Today reported. “The world is watching us. This is an additional reason for all of us to show our strength,” he said.

Next to an image of him leaving the vessel, the ship’s owner, Princess Cruises paid tribute to the captain on Facebook, describing him as a “hero in the eyes of all of us who are a part of the Princess global community.”

Passengers commented under the post which was shared more than 3,000 times. One wrote: “Bravo Captain!!!!!! You deserve more than an applause and standing ovation as being the leader who not only took care of his passengers but more importantly his crew!!!!”

Another wrote: “Ur leadership gave us hope and courage to finish what we have started.”

Carole Welch wrote: “Well done Captain Arma and all the crew, you worked so hard to keep us all comfortable and reassured during that difficult time.” The website Crew Center praised him as a “great leader.”

In a statement to Newsweek, a Princess Cruises spokesperson added; “We thank Captain Arma and his senior officers for their leadership, along with the service of our exceptional onboard team.

“We also offer our sincere gratitude to everyone around the world who has worked with our colleagues to support our guests and crew members through this extraordinary time.”

Japanese government adviser Dr. Norio Ohmagari told CNN last week the quarantine measures enacted by his government “may not have been perfect.”

He said that failing to isolate the crew at the start of the quarantine may have allowed infected workers to pass it on to other crew members and passengers.

The Statista graph below details the extent of the COVID-19 outbreak.