Braemar left La Romana in the Dominican Republic on Thursday after authorities refused to allow passengers to disembark. Fred Olsen said the decision was the result of “a very small number of influenza-like cases onboard”.

Two evacuation flights have taken off from St Maarten, with one heading for Manchester and another to Gatwick. 

“Both operations were subject to significant delays due to continued controls put in place on St Maarten. We would like to apologise to all our guests for the inconvenience that this has caused,” Fred Olsen said.

It added: “No guests or crew are, or have been, displaying symptoms that are considered to be consistent with those of coronavirus.”

Braemar has set sail for Jamaica, but Fred Olsen said: “With regards to the ongoing cruise itinerary for Braemar, this is currently being finalised and will be confirmed to guests in due course.”

Fred Olsen said it had raised the level of sanitisation across its fleet in addition to health questionnaires and “non-invasive” screening for guests and ship visitors.