Guests on norovirus-hit cruise ship that set sail from Belfast cleared to disembark
More than 1,000 passengers on the Ambition have been held in Bordeaux
Last updated 2 hours ago
Guests on a norovirus-hit cruise ship that set sail from Belfast last week have been cleared to disembark after it was held in France.
More than 1,000 passengers on the Ambition have been held in Bordeaux after about 50 people fell ill with the vomiting and diarrhoea bug.
The ship left Belfast last Friday then stopped in Liverpool the next day
Operator - Ambassador Cruise Line - says there was an increase in cases after that.
It says at this stage ‘no serious cases have been reported’ and that a 92 year old passenger who passed away on Sunday didn't have any norovirus symptoms.
It says enhanced sanitation measures remain in place on board along, with isolation guidelines for those affected.
A statement said, “Ambassador Cruise Line can confirm that the ship has been cleared, following laboratory analysis undertaken in Bordeaux, French health authorities have completed their review of the health situation onboard Ambition and confirmed that the gastrointestinal illness affecting a number of guests and crew is viral gastroenteritis (norovirus), with transmission from person to person or through the environment.”
“At this stage, no serious cases have been reported. We can confirm that a 92-year-old male guest on the sailing sadly passed away on 10 May 2026. The guest did not report GII illness symptoms. We continue to provide support to the guest’s friends and family and would like to extend our sincere condolences at this difficult time.”
“Ambition has now been released by the relevant French health authorities to continue normal operations. Guests are now able to disembark and all scheduled shore excursions will be operating as planned tomorrow.”
“Throughout this period, the health, safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew have remained our highest priority. Enhanced sanitation measures, medical monitoring and isolation procedures remain in place across the ship in accordance with EU SHIPSHAN public health protocols. Medical consultations relating to GII continue to be provided free of charge.”
“We would like to thank guests and crew for their patience, understanding and cooperation while precautionary measures remain in place.”