Citing “unknowns around the new Delta variant” the Scottish Government has confirmed that all cruise ships will be banned from docking until the country’s alert level is downgraded. The MSC Virtuosa was the first vessel caught in the ban when it was prohibited from visiting Greenock port.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said, “This decision has been informed by the combination of risks that exist between both cruises and the wider travel context, including the current trajectory of Covid infections and the unknowns around the new Delta variant, in addition to the potential for high risk of uncontained rapid transmission on the cruise.”

The MSC Virtuosa had social distancing measures in place with just 900 passengers on board – the ship can carry upwards of 6,000. All the passengers were UK residents, fully vaccinated, and recently tested negative.

The Government said it “fully understood” the impact of its decision on the cruise industry. “We explained our concerns about the transmission risks posed by cruise vessels in an update to industry on the 24 May and confirmed that we would clarify the position in June,” added the spokesperson.

“Following extensive engagement with stakeholders, we have now confirmed that domestic cruises can restart when all of Scotland reaches level one.”

MSC Cruises said, “In light of recent information received, we are now awaiting further clarification from the relevant authorities in Scotland about the situation for cruising which regrettably means that we have had to cancel our proposed visit to Greenock.”

“We hope that our calls to Scotland with our special cruises can commence soon considering how much we were looking forward to welcoming our Scottish guests onboard MSC Virtuosa.”

The itinerary includes a second stop at Greenock along with calls at Belfast, Southampton and the Isle of Portland.