About 2,000 passengers would have disembarked in Port Louis after completing their cruise while another 2,279 new passengers had been expected to board the ship
A cruise ship, belonging to American cruise operator Norwegian Cruise Line, and carrying over 3,300 persons on board, including 2,184 passengers, has been denied docking at Port Louis by Mauritius government’s health department, which has cited health concerns for keeping the ship away from the quay.
According to reports, Mauritius government took health samples from 15 passengers who were in isolation onboard the ship, Norwegian Dawn, on Sunday.
In a press statement, the Mauritius Ports Authority says that the Norwegian Dawn was scheduled to dock in Port Louis on Sunday, but since it had not gone to Reunion Island, it arrived in Port Louis a day earlier.
‘‘The decision not to allow the cruise ship access to the quay was taken in order to avoid any health risks. The health and safety of passengers as well as that of the country as a whole are of the utmost to the authorities,’’ said the port authority.
However, it did not provide any details about the nature of the health risk. In its own press statement, NCL says that during the ship’s trip to South Africa on February 13, some passengers had experienced mild symptoms of a stomach-related illness.
NCL adds that once in Port Louis, the ship’s management worked with Mauritian authorities to make sure precautions were in place and all on board were okay.
The test results of the samples taken from the 15 passengers would be known in 48 hours and until then all the persons onboard would remain on the ship, which 2,184 passengers and 1,026 crew members.
According to the port authority, of these, about 2,000 passengers would have disembarked in Port Louis after completing their cruise while another 2,279 new passengers had been expected to board the ship.
‘‘Passengers who were due to board the Norwegian Dawn and begin their cruise from Mauritius today will not be able to do so due to potential health risks,’’ it added. NCL says that those who were disembarking or joining the cruise will now do so on February 27.
