Some didn’t come on board, others could only look at the harbor of Port Louis on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean from the railing and cabin: since Sunday, a good 2,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members have been stranded because of suspected cholera outbreaks On board the cruise ship “Norwegian Dawn”. According to the Port Louis harbor master, the ship is anchored two miles from the harbor. The ship was initially not allowed to get any closer to the East African island.
On Monday afternoon, an end to the stopover seemed to be in sight. After a meeting of the island state’s authorities, it was said that the “Norwegian Dawn” would be allowed to dock. The first passengers should be allowed to disembark on Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. local time. However, the suspicion of cholera was not confirmed. Samples taken Sunday from about 15 people on board did not contain any signs of cholera, authorities said.
This was preceded by an involuntary delay in the cruise from South Africa via Madagascar and La Réunion to Mauritius. After a series of gastrointestinal illnesses on board, the authorities in Mauritius refused to allow the ship to dock in the port of the capital Port Louis on Sunday. The French island of La Réunion had previously rejected the ship.
Southern Africa is currently experiencing one of the worst cholera outbreaks in years. The aid organization Doctors Without Borders warned on Monday that global supplies of cholera vaccine had been used up. The forced stop shortly before the destination delayed the planned journey home for the majority of the 2,184 passengers. According to the US shipping company Norwegian Cruise Line, the original 2,279 new travelers who were supposed to board the ship in Port Louis were initially accommodated in hotels. According to information from authorities, at least 14 passengers and one crew member are said to be suffering from diarrhea and vomiting.
According to the shipping company, the “Norwegian Dawn”, built in 2002 at the German Meyer shipyard in Papenburg, Lower Saxony, has space for up to 2,340 guests and 1,032 crew members on board. She left South Africa on February 13th for her journey via Madagascar to Reunion Island and Mauritius. The “Norwegian Dawn” was then supposed to return to South Africa with the new passengers.
Passengers on the cruise ship reacted differently to the situation. “Everything is normal and we are having fun,” a Mauritian guest told dpa, but criticized a lack of communication on board and from the tour operator.
A couple from the island of La Réunion who boarded the ship in Cape Town also complained about the communication. “As soon as we left Cape Town, they knew there was a problem. The buffet had disappeared. We were served with gloves. There were rumors of gastroenteritis,” the husband told dpa.
“We were going to get off in Reunion Island on Saturday. In the morning we were told that the ship would go to Mauritius instead. We were a little worried. Finally we thought that we would get off in Mauritius and fly back to Reunion Island. That’s when we found out “Suddenly that the health authorities would come on board. It was only very late that they mentioned the suspicion of a cholera outbreak.”
Cholera is caused by a bacterium that produces a poison in the intestines. It is spread primarily through contaminated drinking water and contaminated food. Many infections have no symptoms, but in severe cases the severe loss of fluid and salt can lead to circulatory collapse, muscle cramps and even shock and death within hours.
