The French authorities, represented by the Regional Health Authority and the Gironde Governorate in the south of the country, imposed precautionary restrictions that prevented 1,233 passengers and 54 crew members from leaving the British cruise ship “Ambition”, docked in the city of Bordeaux, after recording 49 suspected cases of stomach and intestinal infections among passengers and crew members.
This incident comes in the context of escalating health concerns in the European cruise sector, as it is the second cruise ship to witness a health emergency within days, after the crisis of the ship “MV Hondius” linked to the Hantavirus, which is still trapped in the Atlantic Ocean.
Details of the ship and its route
Navigational data monitored by the Al Jazeera Network’s open source unit via the “Marine Traffic” platform showed that the British passenger ship “Ambition” docked in the port of Bordeaux in southwestern France on Wednesday, May 13, after a voyage coming from the French port of Brest, which it left on May 11.
Automatic Identification System (AIS) data indicates that the vessel, with registration number (9172777) and flying the Bahamas flag, was anchored on the Garonne River on Thursday morning, May 14.
Isolation and prevention procedures
According to the authorities, passengers and crew members were temporarily prevented from leaving the ship as a precautionary measure, after suspected cases of gastroenteritis (stomach flu) were recorded.
Infections began to appear after passengers boarded from the port of Liverpool last Saturday, prompting the operating company to implement strict sterilization and prevention measures, and cancel all scheduled land flights, noting that most of the passengers hold British and Irish nationalities.
The Dutch passenger ship MV Hondius, bearing the maritime registration number (9818709), arrived in the Canary Islands, days after a health emergency in the Atlantic Ocean following an outbreak linked to the Hanta virus on board.
The second ship to witness a health outbreak within days
In a related context, the Dutch passenger ship MV Hondius, which bears maritime registration number (9818709), witnessed a health emergency in the Atlantic Ocean following an outbreak linked to the Hanta virus, before it later arrived in the Canary Islands.
According to World Health Organization updates issued on May 8, the ship left Cape Verde on May 6, heading to the Canary Islands, as part of an international response that included epidemiological investigation, isolation of cases, medical evacuation, and contact tracing.
The organization stated that the outbreak had reached 8 cases to date, including 6 laboratory-confirmed cases of the Andean Hanta virus, and 3 deaths, indicating that the global risk was low, compared to a medium estimate of the risks to passengers and crew.
No relation to the Hanta virus.
On the other hand, the Regional Health Authority confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday that there is no indication that the outbreak of “stomach flu” on board the “Ambition” is linked to the cases of the “Hantavirus” virus previously recorded on board the “Hondius.”
The authorities explained that the disembarkation restrictions come as part of precautionary measures pending the completion of the necessary medical examinations, while the ship’s operator, Ambassador Cruise Line, announced that it had begun implementing strict sterilization and prevention measures as soon as the cases were detected.