https://www.foxnews.com/travel/coronavirus-causes-four-countries-to-reject-cruise-ship-stranded-at-seaCruise ship stranded at sea amid coronavirus fears, denied help by 3 countries and Guam
By David Aaro | Fox News
The MS Westerdam cruise ship has been stuck at sea for nearly two weeks and will remain without a port after Thailand became the latest nation to block its entry amid possible fears of the coronavirus on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Holland America cruise line previously told Fox News the ship planned to dock at Laem Chabang on Feb. 13, but now it appears that won't be happening. Thailand's Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced on Facebook Tuesday that he refused permission to dock.
Some of the MS Westerdam's roughly 2,257 passengers have pleaded online about their situation to no avail. The ship has been denied entry in Thailand, the Philippines, and Japan since it left Hong Kong on Feb. 1. The U.S. territory of Guam has also refused the ship's entry.
CRUISE DENIED ENTRY 'AT EVERY PORT' DUE TO CORONAVIRUS RUMORS, FINDS PLACE TO DISEMBARK PASSENGERS
The Holland America vessel MS Westerdam had to alter its itinerary after it was turned away from Japan due to rumors of a coronavirus outbreak. (iStock)
The Holland America vessel MS Westerdam had to alter its itinerary after it was turned away from Japan due to rumors of a coronavirus outbreak. (iStock) (iStock)
"Definitely stressful.we have been at sea 14 days as of this Friday. We have no passengers sick in any way. Westerdam is a ship of primarily US, Australian, British cruisers with no contact with mainland China other than to land in Hong Kong and go straight to our ship. #westerdam," one user wrote.
Steve Muth, from Onsted Mich., told AZ Central they had been just floating around the ocean.
"We've been denied, essentially, every port, every country since leaving Hong Kong," he said.
CORONAVIRUS INFECTS 66 MORE PASSENGERS ON DIAMOND PRINCESS, BRINGING TOTAL TO 130
The news comes as Carnival's Diamond Princess has seen more than 130 of its 3,700 passengers infected with the virus -- which has killed over 1,000 people and infected over 40,000 globally. They remain in quarantine in the port of Yokohama.
Fox News reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe suspected some of the passengers of the MS Westerdam have been infected, a reason for their denial at the port of Yokohama.
Holland America said there is no reason to believe there are any cases of coronavirus on the vessel, which they also confirmed is not under quarantine.
The cruise line said that all passengers will receive a 100 percent refund for the trip and a 100 credit to their next cruise. Passengers have been given complimentary phone and Internet access.
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Holland America Line is a brand owned by Miami based Carnival Corp.
Fox News' Michael Hollan and Louis Casiano contributed to this report
David Aaro is a Reporter at Fox News Digital based in New York City.
