FOUR of the six Jamaicans stranded aboard the Windjammer cruise vessel in Aruba since early last month should arrive home today, state minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Ronald Robinson, said yesterday.

The four were among six Jamaicans, part of a 39-member crew on the Polynesia, who were left without money, food, water or fuel for more than a month after the owners of the vessel fell into financial difficulties.

The other two persons, the state minister said, are expected to arrive around next week Tuesday by which time their travel documents are expected to be sorted out.

He said all the men were verified to be Jamaicans.

“We had to work all the details in terms of funding and airfare through Trinidad because we don’t have an embassy there,” Dr Robinson told the Observer yesterday.

The Windjammer Barefoot Cruise line, which offers popular casual cruises to the Caribbean, has found itself in financial difficulties over the past months, resulting in it being unable to cover its expenditures. The line has been forced to cancel several voyages in recent weeks angering many of its clients.

The Aruba Red Cross has been assisting the stranded Jamaicans and other crew members over the past two weeks with food and other basic supplies.

Three other vessels in the fleet are also said to be stranded elsewhere in the region – one in Costa Rica, one in Trinidad and another in Panama. Up until yesterday, it was not yet clear whether any Jamaicans were onboard those vessels.