More than 1,700 people are trapped aboard a cruise ship docked in France after a 90-year-old passenger died from suspected norovirus — just days after a separate virus killed three and sickened multiple others on a different cruise.
Passengers and crew traveling on the Ambassador Cruise Line are being forced to remain on the vessel after arriving in Bordeaux on Tuesday, French authorities said.
The quarantine comes after an elderly passenger died after roughly 50 people started showing symptoms of norovirus — a highly contagious stomach virus that causes diarrhea and vomiting.
Passengers and crew members of the Bahamas-registered cruise ship Ambition are confined following the outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness onboard. UGO AMEZ/SIPA/Shutterstock
The Ambition cruise ship is seen at the Bordeaux Harbor in France, on May 13, 2026. UGO AMEZ/SIPA/Shutterstock
1,700 people are confined to the ship following the death of a passenger. UGO AMEZ/SIPA/ShutterstockThe ship, which is carrying mostly British and Irish travelers, had set off from the Shetland Islands on May 6.
The outbreak came just days after passengers stranded on the MV Hondius were finally evacuated after a rare outbreak of hantavirus killed three people and sickened multiple others.
A French woman infected in the hantavirus outbreak is currently critically ill in a Paris hospital after developing a severe form of the disease that has caused life-threatening lung and heart problems.
The woman remains on a life-support device that pumps blood through an artificial lung, providing it with oxygen and returning it to the body, said Dr Xavier Lescure, an infectious disease specialist at Bichat Hospital.
Passengers aboard the Ambition stand outside the deck after they were confined to the ship following a suspected norovirus outbreak. AFP via Getty Images
Ambition passengers are pictured standing on the ship’s deck. UGO AMEZ/SIPA/ShutterstockHe added that the device is “the final stage of supportive care.”
The deadly hantavirus outbreak has now reached 11 total reported cases, 9 of which have been confirmed, according to health officials.
World Health Organization director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the confirmed and suspected cases have only been reported among the cruise ship’s passengers or crew.
Passengers stand outside the Ambition after it’s docked in France, on May 13, 2026. AFP via Getty Images“At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,” he said.
“But of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.”
With Post wires
