A contingent of 1,500 cruise passengers on the MSC Armonía is detained in the port of Barcelona without being able to set sail, due to visa problems for 69 passengers of Bolivian origin that the police have detected. The group, which includes families with children, boarded in Brazil and was due to disembark yesterday in Barcelona, ??its final destination, after making the transoceanic trip. However, the police denied their entry to the country when they detected that they did not have “a valid visa to enter Schengen territory”, that is, they were traveling with false visas.
The ship was due to begin its first Mediterranean route yesterday Tuesday with 1,500 passengers, after completing the winter season in South America, but the plans are blocked until the conflict is resolved. The Government Delegation in Catalonia and the National Police “are in contact with the Bolivian authorities and the MSC Cruises company to expedite the appropriate administrative procedures and resolve your situation as soon as possible,” according to a statement issued to the media. communication.
Access to terminal C, where the MSC Armonía is moored, has been closed by the police until the issue is resolved. However, some family members and members of associations have traveled to the place to support the Bolivian cruise passengers, whom they believe have “swindled.” Apparently, and according to a relative, the group has already tried to disembark in Malaga, the first port on the peninsula that the ship touched after Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, but without success, an extreme that the shipping company neither confirms nor denies. .
The issue has mobilized the Bolivian Embassy in Spain and the Consulate General of the South American country in Barcelona, ??which in a statement indicate that “they are carrying out the pertinent steps to address this case” through “coordination with the Spanish authorities” and with the company. MSC Cruises. The statement details that they are being given support “because the nationals do not have entry documents to the Schengen area” and “they have difficulties disembarking in the ports of Europe,” the note indicates, although the group had as final destination the port of Barcelona. It is also noted that “the appropriate consular assistance” will be provided to the detained Bolivian passengers “for the respect of their human rights.”
The Embassy and Consulate have pointed out MSC as the only one that can provide “an immediate solution” to this situation, “since its obligation was to corroborate the entry or exit documents to any destination that offers its services” to avoid “this type of unforeseen events.” .
In this regard, the company has issued a statement in which it emphasizes the fact that “the passengers seemed to have appropriate documentation when boarding in Brazil” and that it was not until arriving in Barcelona when “we have been informed by the authorities that the visas are not valid for entry into the Schengen area.” As a result, “the passengers have not been able to disembark in Barcelona, ??which was their final destination. “The ship remains in port while we work with the relevant authorities to facilitate this complex process.”
The MSC Armonía was due to begin its first route through the Mediterranean yesterday afternoon. He had planned to head to Italy and Croatia but at the moment the situation does not allow it. “We are working with local authorities to see how to proceed,” explain official company sources, who assure that they keep the rest of the passengers informed at all times.
