Another cruise ship in Norway stalled amid infection fears

A cruise ship with 123 passengers on board and a crew of 85 docked Wednesday in the Norwegian harbour of Bodoe but no one could disembark after a former passenger from Denmark tested positive for the coronavirus upon returning home.

“We take the situation very seriously,” Mayor Ida Pinneroed told Norwegian broadcaster NRK, adding that authorities were in contact with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health on whether the remaining passengers should be tested. The crew will be tested.

In a statement, ship owner SeaDream Yacht Club said “we sincerely hope that there is no COVID-19 on board, and we are not aware of any other guests or crew who are infected or have any symptoms, but we are taking all necessary precautions.”

The ship owner said the former passenger on Tuesday was found to be positive for the virus during a routine check upon arrival in Denmark. The person had no symptoms of COVID-19 during the voyage and traveled home from Tromsoe on Aug. 2 as planned.

Meanwhile, the number of people on another Norwegian cruise ship, the MS Roald Amundsen, who have tested positive for the virus has reached 44, authorities said. It’s not clear how that outbreak began.

Following that outbreak, the ship’s owner halted all cruise trips Monday and Norway closed its ports to cruise ships for two weeks.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health late Tuesday said 35 crew members and nine passengers tested positive. All passengers were registered as living in Norway.

The Hurtigruten cruise line often acts like a local ferry, traveling from port to port along Norway’s west coast. Some disembarking passengers may have spread the virus to local communities.