Cruise ship barred from docking in Scotland under updated covid rules.

Virtuoso
Author: Selena JacksonPublished 8th Jun 2021

A huge cruise ship touring the UK has been barred from docking in Greenock on Wednesday, as the Scottish Government updates Covid rules.

The MSC Virtuosa left Liverpool earlier this week with planned stops in Greenock as well as Belfast and Southampton.

But the Scottish Government's rules now say domestic cruises can only restart when restrictions in all of Scotland reach level one.

Linda Hill, who owns LAH Travel in West Kilbride, has described the move as a "shambles".

"It's a really safe, fabulous environment, and it's been totally kyboshed, again".

In a statement, the Scottish government said it fully understood "the impact of the current restrictions on domestic cruises".

"We explained our concerns about the transmission risks posed by cruise vessels in an update to industry on the 24 May and confirmed that we would clarify the position in June.

"Following extensive engagement with stakeholders, we have now confirmed that domestic cruises can restart when all of Scotland reaches level one and we have made industry, including the operator, aware of this."

Affected passengers have been advised to contact the operator for further information.