ARGENTINA BARS TWO BRITISH LINERS
TENSIONS over the Falklands escalated last night after two British cruise ships were refused entry to Argentina.
More than 3,250 people – 1,000 of them British – were on the Adonia and Star Princess when they were ordered to turn back by port officials in Ushuaia, the main city of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province and the southernmost city in the world.
Passengers on board the Adonia were informed by the ship’s captain they had been banned from docking for ‘political reasons’ and were forced instead to head towards Chile to continue their journey.
The ,500-ton Adonia, which has around 00 British passengers and 300 crew, left Britain on January 13 for an 8 -night long voyage from Southampton to South America, and is due back on April 9. Passengers paid up to £30,000 for the trip.
The 109,000-ton Star Princess is on a 14-night tour of the Americas and set sail on February 18 from Rio de Janeiro with 2,580 passengers, of whom 284 are British, and 900 crew. The Adonia is part of a fleet operated by P&O Cruises from Southampton. The Star Princess, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is run by Princess Cruises from Southampton.
The move comes amid rising tensions over the islands – which Argentina claims as the Malvinas – in the run-up to the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war.
Britain has rejected Argentina’s calls for talks on the islands’ sovereignty.
Michael Campbell, 45, a passenger on the Star Princess, said: ‘We have been caught up in what is essentially a bit of handbags between the two countries. It is pretty immature from Argentina’s point of view. We are just being used as pawns to make a point. It is ridiculous.’
Tory MP Colonel Bob Stewart, former commander of UN forces in Bosnia, said: ‘They are out of line. It is disgraceful and quite frankly it’s just silly.
‘We are big friends with the Argentine people, big friends, and this is just totally daft.
‘If they want to stop cruise ships that will take away income from their country then fine.’
The Foreign Office said: ‘There can be no justification for interference in free and legitimate commerce.’