Sickness closes island cruise port

The cruise terminal at Grand Turk, in the British Overseas Territory of Turks and Caicos Islandsm has been closed down following a series of complaints of stomach upsets from visiting passengers.
Ships began cancelling calls to the Caribbean port two weeks ago after outbreaks of gastro enteritis. The complex, developed by Carnival Cruise Corporation, houses a number of retail shops and a large Margaritaville bar and restaurant (above) with an open air swimming pool and FlowRider surf simulator.
The cruise centre’s fresh water supply comes from a reverse osmosis desalination plant.
A Carnival spokesman said the company was investigating a possible link with “consumption of food and beverages while guests were ashore in Grand Turk.” Food, water, and sanitation have all been tested.
Caribbean News Now reports that Carnival has excavated the sewage system at the cruise centre in an attempt to locate the source of the problem and claims that local residents have long been aware that sewage water saturated ground in the port area.
It said: “Residents who work at the port continued to complain about the stench, which seems constant at one portion of the complex.
The island’s tourist director, Ralph Higgs, said: “We are following the situation as it unfolds and are in active discussion with the most senior executives involved in the ports operation. We understand the severity of the impact of the centre’s closure not only to the local business community of Grand Turk but to those guests who have selected to visit our shores via cruise line.”
Grand Turk claimed fame in 1962 when John Glenn’s Mercury spacecraft was recovered from the sea close by. A replica is displayed at the local airport. The island also claims to have been Christopher Columbus’s first landfall during his New World expedition in 1492.
P&O’s Ventura and Carnival Splendor at Grand Turk’s cruise pier