69 Bolivians stranded on cruise ship in Port of Barcelona due to lack of visas
Travelers boarded MSC ship in Brazil before travelling to the Mediterranean, with Bolivian foreign ministry urging transport company to find solution
A group of 69 Bolivians are currently stranded on an MSC cruise ship in the Port of Barcelona after they did not have a valid visa to enter the Schengen area, according to the cruise company.
Among the stranded MSC Armonia passengers are families with children who boarded the boat in Brazil before traveling to the Mediterranean. Barcelona was their last stop.
Bolivia's foreign ministry has urged MSC to find an "immediate solution" as it was "their responsibility to check all the passengers' visas before boarding the boat."
Meanwhile, the company announced that "it seemed all passengers had the required visas" before they boarded in South America.
"We have been informed by authorities that their visas are not valid to enter the Schengen area," MSC said in a statement. Due to the circumstances, the travelers "were not able to disembark in Barcelona, which was their final destination."
The other passengers, numbering over 1,000, were able to disembark in Barcelona without any problems.
The boat was supposed to depart on Tuesday at 4:00 pm to continue its route to Corsica, Civitavecchia, and Venice, among other destinations. The final destination is Croatia.
MSC Armonia is still docked in the Port of Barcelona while the Bolivian foreign ministry, the consulate, Spanish authorities and the cruise ship company try to find a solution "to a complex process," MSC said.
Sources of the cruise company have said to the Catalan News Agency (ACN) that the rest of the travelers who continue the route have been offered more tours around Barcelona for Wednesday.