Fred Olsen ship hit with stomach bug
Fred Olsen has confirmed there has been an outbreak of a gastro-intestinal illness on board a Boudicca cruise ship. Up to 84 passengers out 760 on board are thought to have been infected.
The ship, which left Belfast on Monday 23 September on a 10-night Scandinavian Cities Cruise will return to Belfast on Thursday where a sanitisation programme will be undertaken.
This is the fifth outbreak on the Boudicca ship so far this year, according to reports.
Earlier this month 130 passengers contracted a sickness and diarrhoea bug on board a Fred Olsen Black Watch cruise ship which had been sailing from Fife.
In a statement relating to this latest outbreak the company said: “In such instances, every precaution is taken on board to ensure the swift containment of the illness, and a number of public areas, including all public toilets and the self-service buffet, are closed,” the company said.
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“Frequent cleaning of all areas of the ship is carried out, and any guest showing symptoms of the virus is asked to remain in their cabin, with complimentary room service and in-cabin entertainment, until they are considered to be symptom-free by the ship’s doctor, before being able to join the rest of the ship.
“At Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, the health, safety and well-being of all our guests and crew is paramount, and we believe that our systems for preventing the spread of illness on board our ships are amongst the best within the industry.”
Guests booked on a 12-night cruise to Madeira and the Canaries, which was set to depart tomorrow, have been informed about the situation.