Cruise Ship Detained In Madeira

British tourists have reported a 'Dunkirk spirit' on board a round-the-world cruise ship that has been detained in Portugal's Madeira Islands, leaving them stranded.

 

The Van Gogh cruise shipThe Van Gogh, which has more than 400 people on board, was held on its last leg in the port of Funchal due to a row over the alleged debts of former operator Travelscope, which went bust in December.

We appear to be held to ransom by the receivers of Travelscope who are holding the ship here, a passenger told BBC News, adding that there was a Dunkirk spirit on board.

Tourists have taken matters into their own hands and are putting together a petition to send to travel organisation Abta asking for it to immediately arrange for them to travel back to Cornwall.

After setting off from Falmouth on January 4, the £9,000-per-person cruise took in Egypt, the Caribbean, Ecuador, Tahiti, New Zealand, Sydney, Mauritius and Cape Town.

It was due back in the UK on Saturday but Funchal port authorities said they were waiting for a court ruling before the ship could continue its voyage.

In a statement on the Gloucestershire Echo, Van Gogh Cruise Line managing director Mark Horwood said lawyers were arguing for the release of the vessel.

Mr Horwood, 43, who is also a director of the company which owns the Echo newspaper, said Travelscope's administrators were behind the detention, making alleged claims relating to previous charter agreements.

More than 200 jobs were lost and the holiday plans of 40,000 people were wrecked after Travelscope ceased trading in December.

But a month later, the administrators revealed that the firm had been sold to Bristol-based Phoenix Holidays, which was set up by two former Travelscope managers.

Gloucester-based Travelscope had a bond with Abta, which made an arrangement with Club Cruise to allow the voyage to go ahead.

When passengers boarded the liner in Falmouth in January, Abta spokesman David Marshall said the mood was very buoyant.

Source: News Sky.com