A stomach illness outbreak and the death of a man on board prompted authorities in Bordeaux to place a temporary disembarking ban on the ship.
The vessel Ambition was midway through a 14-night voyage that began in Belfast and Liverpool. It had planned stops in northern Spain and along France's Atlantic coast.
By the time the vessel reached Bordeaux on Tuesday evening, the stomach bug had already spread. The ship's operator, Ambassador Cruise Line, said that sanitation and prevention protocols had been immediately implemented to prevent the spread.
Authorities have ruled out norovirus, a highly contagious form of gastroenteritis which causes vomiting and diarrhea, but secondary tests are still ongoing to find out what cause the passengers to become ill. Food poisoning has not been ruled out, authorities said.
The disembarking ban is temporary and pending the outcome of medical tests.
Elderly man dies on board A 92-year-old British passenger died on the cruise, but his death appears to be linked to a heart attack, French health authorities said.
"At this stage, no link has been established with the gastroenteritis episode," officials added.
Nevertheless, Etienne Guyot, the prefect of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and Gironde department, suspended disembarkation from the vessel and restricted its interactions with the port of Bordeaux.
He acted on the recommendation of the regional health agency, the Agence Regionale de Sante Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Health authorities rule out Hantavirus The disembarking ban is temporary and pending the outcome of medical tests, officials said.
The French ship's disembarking ban comes as the global health community is grappling with the complex outbreak of the rare hantavirus aboard a cruise ship in the southern Atlantic this month, which killed three people .
Authorities in France clarified that there was no connection between the British vessel parked in Bordeaux and the hantavirus outbreak.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery Advertisement
