Eight cruise passengers were abandoned last week on the island of Sao Tome and Principe, an island off the west coast of Africa. According to BBC, the passengers were not on board on time because their guided tour had run late. The six Americans and two Australians are now doing everything they can to get back on the ship.
On Wednesday, March 27, eight cruise passengers were left stranded on the African island of Sao Tome and Principe. “They missed the last boat that would take them to the ship and therefore did not get on board in time,” we read in the statement from Norwegian Cruise Line.
“Although this is a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for returning to the ship before the agreed time. That time will be widely communicated via the ship’s intercom and in daily communications,” the cruise line said.
Extended tour
“We told our guides that time was ticking and we almost had to get back to the ship. Our guides said that was no problem and that they could quickly take us back to the ship,” one of the stranded passengers told American television channel WPDE. The tour operator reportedly contacted the captain of the ship to say that the passengers were on their way but would be a little later than the agreed time.
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Cruise ship of Norwegian Cruise Line — © Shutterstock
When the passengers arrived at the port, the ship was still in port. However, the captain decided that the passengers were not allowed on board. “The harbor master tried to call the captain, but he did not answer. We then tried to get in touch with the cruise line, but even that didn’t work.”
The passengers’ passports were handed over to local port police and the cruise ship resumed its course along the coast of Africa. The passengers left behind could then be reboarded at the next port of call. The cruise line says the ship has been communicating with local authorities and stranded passengers for days so they can re-board as quickly as possible.
Expensive outing
According to Jill and Jay Campbell, two stranded people from South Carolina, the group traveled for 15 hours through six countries to Gambia in the hope of boarding there by Easter. But the ship could not moor there due to the low water, and spent an extra day at sea. The group then left for Senegal, where the ship would dock today.
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A passenger is stopped and is not allowed to board. — © ABC News 4
All costs associated with this will be borne by the stranded passengers. Only one person in the group has a Visa card, and has already paid almost 5,000 euros for food and accommodation. Their medication is also still in their cabin. Among the eight stranded passengers, one woman is said to be pregnant, one woman partially paralyzed and several elderly people. Another member of the group has been without his heart medication for almost a week.
