France: Health emergency requires preventive isolation of a cruise ship in Bordeaux

Published at: 13/05/2026 10:25 AM

The French port authorities ordered the preventive confinement of 1,747 people aboard the cruise ship “Ambition” in the city of Bordeaux, after the confirmation of the death of a 90-year-old passenger. The measure was taken after a considerable part of the occupants presented gastrointestinal clinical symptoms, characterized by vomiting and diarrhea, during their journey.

The Regional Health Agency of New Aquitaine reported that the group of confined persons is made up of 1,233 passengers along with 514 crew members. The vessel, belonging to the Ambassador Cruise Line company, had made previous stops before arriving at the port of Bordeaux, where the outbreak was detected affecting a large part of British and Irish travelers.

A specialized medical team came on board to take samples and assess the risks of transmission between the occupants, who remain isolated in their cabins by official order. Although possible food poisoning is being investigated as the main cause of the symptoms, the authorities maintain epidemiological surveillance protocols to rule out other pathologies while waiting for laboratory results.

For now, French health agencies have ruled out any link between this incident and the hantavirus, despite the alert generated by recent cases on other international vessels. The situation is kept under strict sanitary control and the ship will remain docked until the authorities determine that there is no public risk.

Mazo News Team