Sick Ship Pulled From Service

Holland America Line canceled the next scheduled voyage of its troubled cruise ship Amsterdam to clean the vessel after more than 500 people caught a contagious stomach virus on four separate voyages.

The ship was still at sea Wednesday with at least 52 passengers and crew members sick with the Norwalk-like virus, said Rose Abello, a spokeswoman for Seattle-based Holland America. Twenty-two others left the ship at various ports of call and were flown home, Abello said.

The virus, spread through food and water and close contact with infected people or things they have touched, can cause diarrhea, stomach pain and vomiting for up to two days.

Abello said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were being consulted as the company devises a plan for thoroughly cleaning the 780-foot vessel over 10 days.

"We will do everything we did in the past and more," Abello said.

A phone call seeking comment from the CDC was not immediately returned.

The cruise line spent more than 10 hours scrubbing the Amsterdam with a chlorine-based solution before it departed on its current voyage after 181 passengers and crew became sick on the previous trip. Those who became sick were asked to remain in their quarters to keep the virus from spreading.

One passenger who became ill sued the company last week. Abello said the company hadn't reviewed the lawsuit yet and couldn't comment.

In all, 518 people have become sick over four sails on the Amsterdam. Passengers on later cruises were notified of the virus before sailing.

The Amsterdam had been scheduled to leave on a 10-day Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale Thursday, when its current 1,323 passengers return to port, but that voyage was canceled so the ship could be cleaned. Passengers booked on the voyage were being given the option of a refund or upgraded travel packages.

Holland America temporarily pulled another ship, the Ryndam, from service for a week in July to disinfect it. The ship had 388 reported cases of a Norwalk-like virus. A lawsuit seeking class-action status was filed in Vancouver, British Columbia, in August on behalf of Ryndam passengers.

Holland America Line Inc. is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp.

By Alex Veiga