The Diplomat
The 69 Bolivian nationals from the MSC Cruises ship who are not allowed to enter Spain because of visa problems were accommodated yesterday on the ferry Moby Orli, which arrived at midday from Barcelona, while the immigration procedures are being carried out.
The MSC shipping company sent the ferry from Livorno (Italy), in order to provide accommodation for the 69 Bolivians and allow the rest of the cruise passengers to continue their journey yesterday.
The MSC Cruises ship MSC Armonia, from Brazil, with 1,500 passengers on board, docked in Barcelona on Tuesday morning, but when the police detected that a group of 69 Bolivians did not have a valid visa, they were prevented from entering the Schengen area.
The Government Delegation in Catalonia reached an agreement with MSC Cruceros so that the Bolivians could disembark yesterday in a transit area in the Port of Barcelona and have a suitable space on the ferry to stay while the necessary immigration procedures are carried out.
If no other solution is found, these procedures could end in the deportation of this group of people, whose relatives claim that they were victims of a scam when they were given false visas to enter Spain by an agency that had sold a complete package including travel, visa and cruise for around 10,000 dollars, more than 9,000 euros.
