Cruise ship turned away by Japan returns to Taiwan

A cruise ship that was denied the right to dock by Japanese harbour authorities amid fears of the spread of the virus which originated in China spreading across parts of Asia was on Saturday allowed to return to Taiwan.

The MS SuperStar Aquarius, carrying over 1,700, mostly Taiwanese passengers docked at Keelung Harbour from where it left on Tuesday.

No one has been identified as positive for the new coronavirus yet, but medics in hazmat-style suits were preparing to board the ship to examine the passengers.

The ship had been meant to dock at Naha in Okinawa Prefecture on Wednesday and leave on Thursday.

However, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced new border control measures to prevent the disease from entering and spreading further into Japan.

The cruise ship is owned and operated by Star Cruises, a cruise line headquartered in Hong Kong and operating in the Asia-Pacific market.