HUNDREDS of passengers waiting to embark on a cruise were turned away last night after the ship they were due to sail in was seized by officials investigating a virus outbreak.

The MV Van Gogh was to depart on a seven-day trip to Norway but officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency detained her after reports that more than 100 people had been infected with a virus on her previous journey.

At least two people were taken off the ship on stretchers after she docked in Harwich, Essex. They were taken to Colchester Hospital. Another 14 passengers were found to be suffering from similar symptoms.

Five hundred passengers waiting on the dockside to depart on the vessel were turned away after the local Director of Public Health advised coastguards that the Van Gogh should be detained.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the ship’s management had not informed the agency of the outbreak, leaving it no choice but to immediately seize the vessel. Its investigators are now poring over the ship and monitoring the crew for further outbreaks.

He said that there were hundreds of passengers waiting on the dockside angry at the cancellation of their trip.

Investigators have said that they believe the illnesses among crew and passengers were caused by the Norwalk virus, an intestinal illness that causes diarrhoea and sickness. People can be infected by swallowing contaminated food or water.

A coastguard spokesman said that 16 of the 250 crew had been infected during the ship’s earlier voyage, while 14 passengers were still suffering from the same symptoms when the Van Gogh docked today. She is likely to be detained in the port for at least two days.

Captain Andy Rudge, of the Marine and Coastguard Agency, who detained the ship, said: “We have been in close discussion with both the local port health inspectors and the Director of Public Health during the day, examining all the options for the wellbeing of future passengers on board this vessel. We have also been in contact with the owners of the vessel and the charter company, who have been made aware of our deliberations this afternoon.

“It is with regret that we have had to take this action in detaining the vessel on health advice, but clearly passenger health is the first priority for all concerned.”

An agency spokesman added: “The issue of having an outbreak on board a cruise ship is not unknown. Having a lot of people in close proximity can allow sickness to travel around a ship very quickly.

“The vessel simply arrived at the dock today and health officials there identified that 100 passengers and crew had been sick. It was pretty clear that something was going wrong and we had no choice but to detain her.

“Whether the ship’s captain had informed other health authorities about the outbreak we simply do not know. But we were not happy.”

The 15,420-tonne ship was built in 1975 and is owned by Club Cruise, based in the Netherlands. She was due to visit Bergen, Flam, Gudvangen and Rosendal in Norway during a cruise operated by Travelscope Holidays.

She was refitted in 1999 and has 250 cabins, a fitness centre with sauna and a seawater swimming pool. According to her owners she carries a 250-strong crew comprised mostly of Ukrainian officers.

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