A cruise ship with about 1,500 passengers on board was detained in the port of Barcelona after 69 Bolivian citizens who did not have a valid visa for the Schengen Area were prevented from disembarking. The Spanish National Police suspect that their documents are forged. Barcelona was the final destination for these Bolivian passengers, but not for all of those on board. The ship was originally supposed to continue on its way to Croatia, but it is now anchored in the port of Catalonia awaiting a resolution to the situation.
Cruise holidays have become extremely popular in recent years, with cruise lines deploying increasingly larger, luxury ships to meet growing demand. Passenger safety is of the utmost importance to cruise lines. They must adhere to strict regulations and controls, such as verification of visas and travel documents. Barcelona incident Emphasizes how important it is to carry out these processes carefully.
For the sixty-nine Bolivian passengers without valid visas, this was a stressful and frightening situation. After a long crossing across the Atlantic Ocean, they were unable to disembark upon arrival in Barcelona, their final destination. Many of them had relatives and friends waiting and were unable to welcome their loved ones.
The remaining 1,500 passengers were in a similar situation, although less dangerous. The cruise was also abruptly halted when the MSC Armonía ship had to dock in Barcelona. Their trip to Croatia was postponed, disrupting their holiday plans.
MSC Cruises sources said it was working with Spanish authorities to manage the situation regarding passengers from Bolivia, including families and children, who traveled with “invalid documents.” The same sources indicated that it appears that these passengers were carrying the correct documents when they boarded Brazil.
However, (Spanish) authorities later informed MSC Cruises that the visas were not valid for their entry into the Schengen Area, preventing it from docking in Barcelona on Tuesday, the final destination of this group of Bolivians, the cruise line said.
According to MSC Cruises, the ship is still in the port of Barcelona while the company is working with the relevant authorities to facilitate this process and has informed passengers on board of the situation.
