The ferry boat operator that ordered dozens of Hurricane Dorian evacuees from the Bahamas off its boat apologized to passengers Monday but said it made the decision after being told more authorization for their travel was needed.
Late Sunday,
CNN affiliate WSVN reporter Brian Entin posted video from a Balearia ferry boat in which a person announced over a loudspeaker that
anyone traveling to the United States without a visa must disembark. The ferry was set to travel from hurricane-ravaged Freeport, in the Bahamas, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when the announcement was made, Entin told CNN.
His video shows families with children getting off the vessel.
US Customs and Border Protection earlier said the operator did not properly coordinate the evacuation ahead of time.
Balearia Caribbean said it regretted and apologized for the "hardship and inconvenience" experienced by the 119 passengers from Grand Bahama who were not transported. But it added, "We boarded these passengers with the understanding that they could travel to the United States without visas, only to later having been advised that
in order to travel to Ft. Lauderdale they required prior in-person authorization from the immigration authorities in Nassau."
US Customs and Border Protection struck a different tone Monday, pinning the blame for the incident on Balearia. CBP spokesman Michael Silva told WSVN that Balearia did not properly coordinate the evacuation efforts with the US Embassy, the Bahamian government and the US Agency for International Development.
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