6 American, 2 Australian cruise ship passengers stranded on African island after Norwegian Cruise refused to let them board

Six passengers from a US cruise ship, including a pregnant woman and an elderly man with heart problems, and two Australians are stranded on an African island without money or life-saving medication after the Norwegian Cruise Line ship left them.

Jill and Jay Campbell, from South Carolina, said the group was stuck on the Central African island of São Tomé after the ship’s captain allegedly refused to let them on board – despite help from the local coast guard, according to Fox News.

Passengers were left on the island “alone or with a private tour” and missed “boarding time,” a Norwegian Cruise Lines spokesperson told KNSB.

The Campbells also admitted that there had been “a problem” during their tour of the island and that the guide “did not get us back” to the ship on time on Friday.

But they said the ship was still anchored at the port when they arrived and the island’s coast guard took them on a boat to a ship in order to reboard.

The captain then refused to let them board.