A cruise ship at a port in Spain has been forced to hold all 1,500 passengers on board, after a group from Bolivia failed to obtain the correct visa documents to enter the European border-free Schengen area.
According to reports, cruise ship MSC Armonia remains detained in Barcelona, with authorities scrambling to sort the situation.
The debacle, involving 69 Bolivian passengers, is preventing the ship from continuing its journey until the situation is resolved.
The voyage has traveled from Brazil to cover a route in the Mediterranean Sea, with the 69 Bolivians in question including families and children.
In a statement, MSC Cruises initially thought the visa documentation was correct and appeared to comply with the necessary requirements for travel.
However, upon further inspection, the visas were “not valid” for entry.
“The passengers appeared to have proper documentation upon boarding in Brazil,” the statement read.
“We have been informed by the authorities that the visas are not valid for entry into the Schengen area. As a result, passengers have not been able to disembark in Barcelona, which was their final destination.”
One Bolivian passenger, who spoke to local media under anonymity, said she was being treated like “a criminal [in a] prison” despite being assured by a travel agency her visa was correct and valid for travel.
Some family members of the Bolivian travelers on board the cruise ship told Spanish media that the 69 passengers had been victims of a scam.
According to the claim, as published in Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, an agency in South America had offered the visas online and charged up to $10,000 per person.
It is understood the ship will remain in port while it works with authorities while the investigation continues.
