French authorities have announced that over 1,700 passengers and crew on a British cruise ship were ordered to remain on board in Bordeaux after an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness.
The cruise operator, Ambassador Cruise Line, confirmed that the vast majority of the 1,187 guests on board are British. There are also 514 crew members.
The Ambition was midway through a 14-night cruise from Belfast and Liverpool that was due to take in ports in northern Spain and along France’s Atlantic coast. It reached Bordeaux on Tuesday evening, according to the operator, Ambassador Cruise Line.
The prefect of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and Gironde department, Étienne Guyot, suspended disembarkation from the Ambition and restricted the vessel’s interactions with the port of Bordeaux. He acted on the recommendation of the regional health agency, the Agence Régionale de Santé Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Up to 50 passengers showed symptoms consistent with acute digestive infection after the ship’s captain alerted French authorities on Tuesday evening. Those affected were treated by the ship’s doctor and isolated in their cabins.
A medical team supervised by France’s maritime medical coordination service, under the authority of the maritime prefect, was dispatched to the vessel. Samples are being analyzed by the infectious diseases department of the Bordeaux teaching hospital, the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux, to identify the pathogen, assess transmission risks and determine further measures.
The measures applied to the Ambition were described as temporary, proportionate and subject to continuous review, with a further update expected later Wednesday once analysis results were available.
Ambassador Cruise Line said earlier Wednesday that a 92-year-old male passenger had died on Sunday, although he had not reported symptoms consistent with the illness, and that his cause of death was yet to be established by a coroner. “We are providing every support to the deceased’s friends and family and extend our most sincere condolences to them at this difficult time,” it added.
The company said that 48 passengers and one crew member were displaying gastrointestinal symptoms as of late Wednesday morning.
Ambassador said that its data showed cases had risen after passengers boarded in Liverpool on May 9. According to the cruise operator, a number of people have reported experiencing symptoms of a stomach bug following the ship’s departure from Liverpool. It is understood that there are currently 49 active cases of stomach bug among the passengers and the crew, just under 3% of the ship’s population.
The operator stressed that it takes the issue “extremely seriously,” with “enhanced sanitation and prevention protocols” immediately implemented across the ship in line with established public health procedures following the initial reports of illness.
The French health authorities “requested they conduct a routine review of the ship’s health status and records,” with samples sent for testing at the Bordeaux university hospital, with results requiring “a minimum of six hours to be processed.”
All shore excursions at Bordeaux had been cancelled and affected passengers offered full refunds, the company said. “Once clearance is granted, guests will be permitted to disembark,” the statement added.
Authorities Dismiss Any Link To Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak On MV Hondius
French health authorities confirmed in a joint statement that there is no reason to establish “a link between this outbreak aboard a cruise ship from Belfast and Liverpool and the hantavirus cases detected aboard the MV Hondius.”
The hantavirus outbreak aboard the Hondius last month prompted a multi-country response and the hospitalization of passengers in Britain, France, Spain and the United States.
Ambassador Cruise Line disclosed that comprehensive health and safety measures introduced include increased cleaning and disinfection measures in public areas, assisted service in selected dining venues and ongoing guidance to guests regarding hand hygiene, including regular hand washing, use of hand sanitisers and the prompt reporting of any symptoms to the onboard medical team. “The health, safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew remains our highest priority, and we are sincerely grateful for the patience, understanding and cooperation shown while these precautionary measures remain in place,” it said.
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