Cruise ship carrying Dutch people anchored due to possible cholera outbreak: 'The weather is not nice' | local

This concerns the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship, operated on behalf of Danish Cruise Line Holding Ltd. It takes a flight from Cape Town, South Africa, with Mauritius as the final destination. The passengers were due to disembark in Mauritius on Sunday, but they floated about 5 kilometers off the coast off Port Louis, the island's capital. The ship is officially in quarantine.

“The only thing we were told was that we definitely would not be allowed to come down until February 27.” Esther Verdas tells BN/De Stem. “But this may take longer. One of the people on board may have cholera, and if the culture already shows it is on the 27th, then another ten days could be added,” said Verdas, who is on holiday from Breda with her family. .

On Sunday, all passengers received a message from their shipping company. He speaks of “unforeseen circumstances” meaning local authorities do not allow the cruise ship to dock in Mauritius. The same message states that it will “most likely” be possible to dock on the island in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday. A previously planned stop in Reunion – on the way to Mauritius – has also been cancelled. In addition to more than two thousand passengers, there will also be about a thousand crew members on board.

Authorities said at least 14 passengers and one crew member suffered from diarrhea and vomiting. They are isolated in their rooms.

While the shipping company is still communicating generally, Esther reports that her captain, Roger Borg, has reported that there will be a cholera outbreak in South Africa and Zimbabwe. One person on board the Norwegian Dawn is suspected of having cholera. Verdas: “They sprayed and vacuumed everywhere here yesterday, and the staff was nervous and we were instructed to wash their hands more often than usual and observe hygiene rules.” In addition to Esther and her family, there are said to be at least ten Dutch passengers on board.

On Facebook, many passengers on the plane say they suffered from stomach flu, but they could also have cholera. The American middle USA Today She was to board the plane from Mauritius on Sunday with a group of other journalists, but she also heard that cholera was suspected. Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings Limited told the same media. that “a small number of guests experienced mild symptoms of stomach-related illness.” “The Mauritius government has postponed disembarkation on the current cruise and boarding on the next cruise by two days until Tuesday as local authorities require additional testing,” the company said.

Traveling and working on a cruise ship can cause some inconveniences. According to the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate School, a vocational training center for seafarers, shipping is known as a “particularly dangerous occupation.” “Seafarers are vulnerable to infectious diseases spread among shipmates, as well as to diseases in countries where the ship is in port. Malaria, cholera, yellow fever and tuberculosis are all diseases for which seafarers must be vaccinated or prepared,” the organization said.

However, it does nothing to improve the holiday spirit of Esther and everyone on board.

“You can imagine that the atmosphere among passengers is not pleasant,” Verdas continues. “Flights have been missed, people have lost money on hotels they booked in Mauritius. Guests are angry, rebellious and sad. These are luxury problems, of course. But what I find difficult is that so much is unclear. Can we go home? When? How? Where do we get tickets? ? As compensation, the company is offering guests an additional internet package and a 15 percent discount on their next cruise.

In thirteen affected countries in Africa, 200,000 cholera cases and more than 3,000 deaths had been reported as of mid-January. Because a small number of cases have been identified in the Comoros, Mauritius is on high alert. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Limited. It has not yet responded to a request for additional information.