Cruise ship 'hit by CHOLERA outbreak': Brits among thousands of passengers stuck in quarantine on Norwegian Dawn liner 'floating aimlessly' off coast of Africa after it was barred from docking in Mauritius 'to avoid health risks'

British holidaymakers are among 2,200 passengers stuck on board the Norwegian Dawn cruise liner after Mauritian authorities barred it from docking following reports of a possible cholera outbreak.

Around the same number of tourists have been unable to board the vessel, and were forced to queue at the port before being put up in hotels when it became clear the ship could not dock.

The 12-day cruise had sailed from South Africa via Mozambique, and had been scheduled to dock in Port Louis on Sunday, but arrived a day earlier after missing out a stop at Reunion Island. 

One Brit, who had been due to start his cruise over the weekend, said that he has tried to cancel his trip and is considering getting expensive flights back to the UK as he is 'scared to get on a contaminated ship'.

'[I am] not on the ship but waiting to get on and not wanting to... it has been complete chaos onshore,' he told MailOnline, saying he had received no updates and that the situation was a 'complete shambles'.

Passengers have been left stranded on the ship after Mauritian authorities refused to let it dock 'to avoid any health risks' due to a possible cholera outbreak. This picture was taken by a passenger on board the Norwegian Dawn liner near Mauritius

Around the same number of tourists have been unable to board the vessel, and were forced to queue at the port before being put up in hotels

Holidaymakers pictured queuing at the port on Sunday. The ship was not allowed to dock on Saturday and cruise customers were put up in hotels

Dutch holidaymaker Esther Verdaas with her husband and daughters

The 12-day cruise had sailed from South Africa via Mozambique, and had been scheduled to dock in Port Louis on Sunday. It is now off the coast of Mauritius

The 59-year-old tourist said his partner 'is now refusing to get on the ship regardless of what happens' and said they are looking at £1,600 flights home.

He said that this would mean they would lose any possible refund on the trip, but that they are keen to get home regardless.

The ship has a crew of around 1,000, and of the more than 3,000 on board at least 15 people - 14 passengers and one crew member - are said to be in isolation with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea.

A tanker vessel has been pictured near the ship by a passenger on board as it remains off the Mauritian coastline.

A group of journalists had been due to embark on a press trip on the vessel on Sunday before they heard that there was suspected cholera on board, USA Today reports.

A mother-of-two on the ship told Dutch newspaper BN DeStem that passengers had been told that there could be cholera on board, and that they could face up to ten days in quarantine if it is confirmed. 

'You can imagine that the atmosphere among the passengers is not pleasant,' Dutch holidaymaker Esther Verdaas said.

'Flights are being missed, people have lost money on hotels booked in Mauritius. Guests are angry, rebellious, sad. These are luxury problems, of course. But what I find difficult is that so much is unclear. Can we go home? When? How? Where do we get tickets?'

Ms Verdaas explained that 'the misery started' when they had been due to dock at Réunion on Saturday, but were refused by the authorities there.

'That meant a long extra day of aimless floating on the open sea,' said the tourist, who is travelling with her husband and their two daughters.

One passenger on the ship wrote on Facebook earlier today: 'We are not getting an explanation as to why we are stuck outside of Mauritius but the theory is because we had a breakout of [gastro intestinal] issues, most probably due to food poisoning.' 

The view from the ship off the coast of Mauritius, shared by a passenger on board

The Norwegian Dawn's planned itinerary. It had been due to travel from South Africa to Mauritius

Another tourist on the ship said today that passengers were 'fed up' and that there were 'limited facilities' to deal with being stuck at sea. 

While Cholera is uncommon in countries such as the UK and the US, there have been significant cholera outbreaks in southern Africa over the last few months, with at least 188,000 cases recorded across seven countries since January 2023 and more than 3,000 deaths.

'The decision not to allow the cruise ship access to the quay was taken in order to avoid any health risks,' the Mauritius Ports Authority said.

'The health and safety of passengers as well as that of the country as a whole are of the utmost to the authorities,' it added, without giving any details about the nature of the health risk.

A spokesperson for the U.S.-headquartered Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement that during the ship's trip to South Africa on February 13, some passengers had experienced mild symptoms of a stomach-related illness.

Once in Port Louis, the ship's management worked with Mauritian authorities to make sure precautions were in place and all on board were okay, the spokesperson said.

The port authority said its test results would be known in 48 hours.

The ship has 2,184 passengers and 1,026 crew members. Of these, about 2,000 passengers would have disembarked in Port Louis after completing their cruise while another 2,279 new passengers had been expected to board the ship, the port authority said.

'Passengers who were due to board the 'Norwegian Dawn' and begin their cruise from Mauritius today will not be able to do so due to potential health risks,' it said.

Those who were disembarking or joining the cruise will now do so on February 27, the Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson said.

MailOnline has contacted Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd for comment.

Cholera can be caught by drinking unclean water, eating food that's been in unclean water, and eating food handled or prepared by a person infected by Cholera.

Shellfish in particular carries an increased risk of the infection. 

However, according to the NHS, the risk of being infected while travelling is very small. It is mainly found in places without a clean supply of water or modern sewage systems, such as parts of Africa and Asia.

Norwegian Dawn, which has some 2,200 passengers and 1,000 crew on board, has been floating off the coast after Mauritian authorities decided to block it 'to avoid any health risks' (file image)

To avoid Cholera, people are advised to wash their hands regularly with soap - especially after using the toilet and before handling or eating food.

Only drinking boiled tap water or bottled water and only brushing your teeth with bottled or boiled water is also advised in places where Cholera is more prevalent.

In such places, is it advised not to eat uncooked fruit or vegetables (including salad) that has not been washed with clean water, to not eat shellfish or seafood, and to not eat ice cream or to have ice in drinks.

It is possible to get vaccinated against the infection, which is recommended for people travelling to higher-risk places which are remote and without access to medical care.