The cruise ship operators, Transocean Tours of Bremen, can confirm that 200 passengers aboard Marco Polo currently have symptoms of suspected norovirus.

Three people remain in Raigmore Hospital after falling ill on board the ship. One person has been discharged, and one further patient has been admitted. In total there are still four people in hospital at this time.

In an unrelated incident yesterday, a 74-year-old male passenger, died on board ship.  He had serious underlying health conditions. The cause of death has not yet been identified. A post mortem will be carried out.

A team of local GPs and nurses are working with the Marco Polo medical team to treat passengers with symptoms.

A spokesman for Transocean Tours said: “The management of Transocean Tours, the ship owners, Story Cruise Ltd and the NHS authorities are working closely together ensuring the maintenance of the standard Health Protection Agency protocols that are in place to minimize the effect of the virus and eradicate it.

 “Marco Polo began her current cruise in Tilbury on Saturday 4th July and yesterday called at Invergordon, where the ship’s medical staff invited the local port health officials for a common inspection because of the increased number of cases during the previous night.

“The ship had previously been on a cruise to Iceland.  A very small number of people on board had suffered symptoms of gastro-enteritis during the cruise but this is unrelated to the current outbreak and Port authorities gave the ship a clean bill of health when it docked at Tilbury.”

There are a total of 769 passengers plus a crew complement of 340 persons aboard the vessel and everyone has been updated and kept informed of developments.

Members of the public who are concerned about relatives on board may call Transocean’s UK based general sales agent, Cruise and Maritime Services International Ltd in Dartford, Kent, on  0845 430 0274. Outside office hours, please call 07894 478 969.

7 July 2009