Spain has initiated the deportation of 65 out of the 69 Bolivians who found themselves stranded aboard an MSC ship in Port Barcelona since April 2nd. They arrived in the Catalan capital without valid visas to enter the Schengen Area.
The passengers embarked on the MSC Armonia ship from Brazil but were unable to disembark in Barcelona due to visa issues. The scheduled flight to repatriate these passengers is set for Thursday, April 11th.
MSC will cover the costs of the flight, facilitating the return of 65 passengers to their home country. However, 4 passengers (3 siblings, two of whom are minors, along with the daughter of one of the siblings) will remain in Catalonia due to their family ties in the region. Their parents reside in Catalonia, and one of them holds Spanish citizenship.
Upon arrival in Barcelona on April 2nd, the tourists were unable to disembark due to their lack of valid visas. Despite some passengers requesting asylum, their petitions were not granted.
Departing a day later than scheduled, the vessel left Barcelona on April 4 with 1,500 passengers aboard. During this time, the 69 stranded Bolivians temporarily resided on another MSC cruise ship while awaiting a resolution.
For more MSC Armonia incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.