Costa Luminosa with coronavirus cases, and 77 Canadians on board, docks in France

A trans-Atlantic cruise ship carrying several COVID-19 cases among its passengers and with dozens of Canadians aboard has docked in the French Mediterranean port city of Marseille, the Canadian Press reports. 

The Costa Luminosa departed Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on February 24th, carrying more more than 1,400 passengers.

The ship's itinerary was supposed to end in Venice on March 25th until it was redirected to France after bypassing several ports.

Leading up to its arrival in southern France, at least 24 crew members on board the ship were classified as sick and in isolation, according to with at least 50 passengers classified as sick, or are roommates of passengers who are classified as sick, according to ship logs obtained by the Miami Herald. 

Global Affairs Canada says at least 77 Canadians are on the Costa Luminosa. 

Since its arrival in France Thursday morning, French authorities have allowed the ship to stay for up to four days under strict conditions. 

It is not clear as to whether passengers will be allowed to disembark. 

France's President Emanuel Macron announced a 15-day lockdown the country on Tuesday, prohibiting all nonessential outings.

Reports say Global Affairs Canada has officials on standby to provide consular assistance to the Canadians on board.

When asked about the situation at a press conference Thursday morning, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he didn't have any updates on Canada's role in helping Canadians disembark the Costa Luminosa. 

The ship was allowed to stop in Tenerife, Spain, on Sunday to offload three people who required hospital attention. All other passengers, however, were barred from disembarking in the Spanish Canary Islands.

Costa Luminosa is one of many ships still at sea with passengers as vessels struggle to find ports that will allow passengers to disembark amid the COVID-19 outbreak. 

According to CLIA, as of March 17th, about 20 per cent of ships were still completing final itineraries.

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