Cruise ship that bunkered in Gib docks in Barcelona after detecting virus case

A cruise ship that recently stopped in the Bay of Gibraltar to take on fuel has docked in Barcelona after one of its crew members tested positive for Covid-19.

The Seven Seas Navigator was granted permission to enter the Port of Barcelona but its 400 crew are under quarantine and none have been allowed to come ashore, according to press reports.

The ship anchored in the Bay of Gibraltar for just nine hours earlier this week and none of its crew left the vessel during the bunkering operation.

“No crew were landed or embarked on this vessel,” a Gibraltar Government spokesman told the Chronicle.

Cruise calls of all types are currently banned in Spain.

But Spain’s Ministry of Health can "exceptionally" lift the restrictions on entry into Spanish ports of cruise-type passenger ships and foreign recreational vessels that do not have their port of stay in Spain.

“The Ministry of Transport issued an order last Tuesday that maintains the prohibition of entry into Spanish ports of cruise ships from any port,” Spanish newspaper El Pais reported.

“This prohibition, which until now has been extended twice, will remain in effect until the state of alarm ends.”