69 Bolivians, including families with children, have been denied access to Spanish territory. Authorities prevented the Bolivian passengers from disembarking in Barcelona, citing a lack of valid documentation.
A cruise ship stranded in the northeastern Spanish port of Barcelona will be able to continue its route after dozens of Bolivian passengers with visa issues were removed from the vessel on Thursday (April 4), authorities report.
The 69 Bolivian nationals, whose final destination was Barcelona, were not permitted to disembark the Armonía because they lacked valid documents to enter the European border-free Schengen area that Spain is part of.
In a statement, MSC Cruises said on Wednesday the Bolivian "passengers appeared to have proper documentation upon boarding in Brazil" but Spanish authorities later said the visas were not valid for entry into the Schengen area.
According to a Spanish Interior Ministry source, they were also carrying false documents, Reuters reported.
Spain reaches agreement with cruise ship
The Spanish government announced in a statement that it had reached a deal with the MSC Cruises Company, agreeing that the cruise company would provide another boat from Livorno, Italy for the Bolivian passengers on Thursday. MSC Cruises also agreed to supply food and health care for the group of Bolivians.
Authorities transferred the Bolivian passengers to a transit zone in the Barcelona port, but they were not granted permission to enter Spanish territory. The group must now wait until authorities process their cases to decide on potential deportations or granting of asylum, the government's regional delegation in Catalonia said.
Following the agreement with the Spanish authorities, the Armonía and its approximate 1,500 passengers will set sail on Thursday and continue the planned journey to Italy without the Bolivian nationals, the company MSC Cruises said. The cruise ship is scheduled to arrive on Monday in Marghera, near Venice.
Spain probes possibility of fake visa scam, says diplomat
Barcelona-based Bolivian diplomat Solange Duarte told the Associated Press on Wednesday she had received reports that some of the stranded Bolivians had been duped into obtaining fake visas but had no further information.
"We have asked the families to indicate who has processed this visa and we have not gotten answers," she said.
Spain's national police are investigating the possibility of a fake visa scam, Duarte added.
With AP, Reuters and DPA