A cruise ship carrying more than 3,000 passengers that was stranded in Japan is set to return to Taiwan tomorrow morning, the Maritime Port Bureau said today.
The cruise ship, Costa Serena, which departed from Keelung for Okinawa on Tuesday and was supposed to return to Keelung today, was stranded in Naha on Wednesday due to a “technical issue,” the bureau said in a press release.
The ship has been fixed and began heading back to Taiwan at 10:45am today, it said.
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The ship is set to arrive at the Port of Keelung at 6:30am tomorrow, it said.
Of 3,536 passengers on board, 3,387 are Taiwanese, it said.
The ship was scheduled to travel to Naha and Ishigaki Island between Tuesday and its return to Keelung today, it said.
Passengers were allowed to get off the ship in Naha yesterday and were given US$50 to spend on board the ship, it said.
A tour which was set to depart from Keelung on the same ship today was canceled, it said, adding that a total of more than 7,000 people have been affected by the incident.
The bureau said it had requested travel agencies to notify travelers and offer a full refund without service charge.
A passenger, surnamed Yang (楊), said they are still negotiating with the cruise company about the refund arrangement.
Costa Serena said in a statement released yesterday night that the ship had delayed its return to Taiwan and the company had canceled the trip that was originally scheduled to set out today due to safety considerations.
Passengers who signed up for the trip which was set to depart today would be offered US$100 per room to spend on board if they reschedule their four-day trip between June 25 and Sep. 3, the company said.
Passengers can also choose to cancel the trip and be refunded, it said.
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