Health inspectors in Greece are carrying out additional Covid-19 tests on crew members of a cruise ship with more than 1,500 people on board, ordering the ship to stop at a testing area at the country’s largest port near Athens.

The Maltese-flagged Mein Schiff 6, which is on a Greek island cruise, is docked at the port of Piraeus after sample testing of the crew found 12 were positive but asymptomatic, the Greek Merchant Marine Ministry said.

Passengers had undergone coronavirus tests before boarding.

Passengers outside their cabins at Piraeus port
Passengers outside their cabins at Piraeus port (Petros Giannakouris/AP)

Officials from the Health Ministry said results from rapid-diagnostic tests given to 150 crew members were all negative, adding that the state of emergency that halted the cruise would be lifted once the results were confirmed through genetic tests.

Passengers had undergone coronavirus tests before boarding.

The vessel, operated by Tui Cruises, has 922 passengers and 666 crew members on board, and began its trip late on Sunday from the port of Iraklio, on the island of Crete.