Fred Olsen Norovirus outbreak again

Cruise travel news: A vomiting bug Norovirus which hit a Fred Olsen cruise liner Balmoral yesterday has spread overnight, according to the company’s marketing director. This is the second time this year, the first outbreak was in February 2009

The ship, carrying 1,200 passengers and 540 crew, was given permission to continue its journey and was due to arrive in Portree in the Isle of Skye at 11am this morning.

Infected passengers on board Balmoral, were being quarantined in their cabins and TTG has been told the cruise was not expected to be cancelled.

Yesterday evening the cruise company informed local health authorities in Invergordon that about 20 people on board were infected with a norovirus.

Nigel Lingard, Fred Olsen’s marketing director, said: “I can confirm there has been an outbreak of a norovirus on board the Balmoral ship. We declared the outbreak to the port and heath authorities in Invergordon as is our duty.”

He revealed more people had fallen ill throughout the night but said numbers would not be confirmed until the ship called in the Western Isles late this morning.

Lingard said the outbreak was caused by a woman who boarded the ship in Dover but failed to declare an illness to the crew.

“We have rigorous sanitation onboard and we expect the outbreak to be contained. The cruise will not be cancelled,” he said.

The Balmoral was the second ship this year to report a norovirus outbreak at Invergordon port.

More than one thousand passengers and crew were struck down aboard the Marco Polo, operated by Transocean Tours, in July.

Passengers were refunded after it was revealed the cruise company had not declared a norovirus outbreak on the ship’s previous voyage.