Mauritius has declined permission for an NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line ship to dock at Port Louis, citing concerns about a potential illness outbreak (of cholera or Norovirus) among passengers.
15 individuals aboard NCL's ship Norwegian Dawn have been isolated due to suspected illness, prompting Mauritian maritime authorities to block the vessel's entry "to mitigate health risks."
Samples were collected for testing yesterday (Feb 25th), with results anticipated by tomorrow.
According to a representative from the shipowner (NCLH/Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings), passengers exhibited mild symptoms of a gastrointestinal illness/GI (Norovirus) during a voyage to South Africa.
The ship's Master (Captain Hakan Svedung) informed passengers of the possibility of a cholera outbreak on board.
Southern Africa has experienced cholera outbreaks in recent months, notably impacting Zambia.
Since January 2023, the UN has reported 188000+ cholera cases and 3000+ deaths across 7 countries in southern Africa - Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa, and Congo.
Norwegian Dawn reached Mauritius on Saturday evening (February 24th, a day ahead of the scheduled for Feb 25th arrival) after skipping/bypassing Reunion Island/Saint-Denis.
Carrying 2184 passengers and 1026 crew, the ship had ~2000 people planned to disembark in Port Louis, while another 2000 were scheduled to board simultaneously.
Affected passengers and those joining the cruise in Mauritius will now proceed with embarkation/disembarkation on February 27th, as confirmed by an NCL spokesperson.
Norwegian Dawn's current voyage is a 12-day one-way itinerary (from Port Louis to Cape Town) which started on February 25th and ends on March 8th.
For more Norwegian Dawn incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.