All of the nearly 2,000 passengers currently stranded on a cruise ship in Naha, Japan, are to return by Thursday, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said today.
Mediterranean Shipping Co’s (MSC) ship the MSC Bellissima had a malfunction, stranding it at the Okinawa port with 1,857 Taiwanese passengers on board.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications has coordinated with domestic airlines and the Japanese government to use larger aircraft and increase the number of flights, adding about 748 seats over today and tomorrow, Chen told legislators during a committee hearing at the legislature.
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsu, Taipei Times
With the help of additional charter flights, the ministry expects all affected travelers to return by Thursday, he added.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said that although there are administrative procedures to overcome, the ministry should work efficiently to allow all passengers to return by tomorrow.
While MSC has offered compensation for affected travelers, the costs of tickets and shore excursions are not the same, so the Tourism Administration should work with the Travel Quality Assurance Association to protect passengers’ rights, Lee added.
MSC is to cover the ticket costs, Chen added.
The MSC Bellissima, carrying 4,341 passengers, departed from Keelung on Wednesday last week for Okinawa, with planned stops at Miyako Island, Naha and Ishigaki Island.
It was set to return to Taiwan on Sunday.
Passengers who arranged their own transportation from Naha can claim compensation of up to US$400 if they traveled outside Japan and up to US$200 for domestic travel within Japan, the cruise operator said.
A separate trip of 2,080 passengers scheduled to board the MSC Bellissima in Keelung on Sunday was canceled.
The cruise operator said it had informed all those affected on Saturday.
To compensate for the disruption, the operator promised full refunds to all impacted passengers.
It would also provide a voucher worth up to 50 percent of the ticket value that is to be valid until Dec. 31 next year.
Additional reporting by CNA
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS