MSC ship Armonia has been stuck in Barcelona for two days due to visa issues for some of the passengers onboard.
The 2,000-passenger ship arrived in the Spanish port from Santos in Brazil on Tuesday 2 April, from where it was due to leave for Rome, stopping in Corsica on the way.
It should have arrived in Rome-Civitavecchia today, but the ship-tracking app Cruise Mapper shows it’s still in Barcelona.
Media reports claim the ship has been kept in the Spanish port because a group of 69 Bolivian passengers didn’t have valid documents to enter the EU’s Schengen zone, meaning they couldn’t get off the ship in Barcelona.
It has been reported that, prior to arriving in Barcelona on Tuesday, the cruise ship had previously stopped in Tenerife, Funchal in Madeira and in Malaga, Spain, without any issues.
It is understood that on arrival in Barcelona there were 1,500 passengers on MSC Armonia, which is on a one-way sailing to Venice, where it is scheduled to arrive on 8 April.
From Venice, the ship is due to start a series of round-trip Mediterranean cruises, beginning on 8 April.
Spanish Government officials have said they’re in contact with Bolivian authorities and MSC Cruises to resolve the situation in Barcelona.
In a statement, MSC said: “We are able to confirm that MSC Armonia is due to depart today with guests on board with the final destination of Marghera/Venice on 8 April.
“Thanks to the cooperation with the Spanish authorities the group of Bolivian guests has been disembarked and will now follow the immigration process as required by law. We are fully assisting with this process.”
The ship’s planned stop in Corsica has been cancelled and it will head straight to Venice instead.
MSC had earlier said that the Bolivian passengers, which include families and children, ‘appeared to have proper documentation upon boarding in Brazil’.
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The 2,000-passenger ship arrived in the Spanish port from Santos in Brazil on Tuesday 2 April, from where it was due to leave for Rome, stopping in Corsica on the way.
It should have arrived in Rome-Civitavecchia today, but the ship-tracking app Cruise Mapper shows it’s still in Barcelona.
Media reports claim the ship has been kept in the Spanish port because a group of 69 Bolivian passengers didn’t have valid documents to enter the EU’s Schengen zone, meaning they couldn’t get off the ship in Barcelona.
It has been reported that, prior to arriving in Barcelona on Tuesday, the cruise ship had previously stopped in Tenerife, Funchal in Madeira and in Malaga, Spain, without any issues.
It is understood that on arrival in Barcelona there were 1,500 passengers on MSC Armonia, which is on a one-way sailing to Venice, where it is scheduled to arrive on 8 April.
From Venice, the ship is due to start a series of round-trip Mediterranean cruises, beginning on 8 April.
Spanish Government officials have said they’re in contact with Bolivian authorities and MSC Cruises to resolve the situation in Barcelona.
In a statement, MSC said: “We are able to confirm that MSC Armonia is due to depart today with guests on board with the final destination of Marghera/Venice on 8 April.
“Thanks to the cooperation with the Spanish authorities the group of Bolivian guests has been disembarked and will now follow the immigration process as required by law. We are fully assisting with this process.”
The ship’s planned stop in Corsica has been cancelled and it will head straight to Venice instead.
MSC had earlier said that the Bolivian passengers, which include families and children, ‘appeared to have proper documentation upon boarding in Brazil’.
The post MSC ship stuck in Barcelona with hundreds of passengers onboard appeared first on Travel Gossip.
Continue reading...
