Washington, Dec 7 (IANS): At least 17 Covid-19 cases were detected on a Norwegian cruise ship that departed from New Orleans, in the US state of Louisiana, including one suspected to have the fast-spreading Omicron variant, local media reported.

Norwegian Cruise Line said on Monday that all Covid-19 cases aboard the Norwegian Breakaway were asymptomatic, and the South African crew member probably with the Omicron variant was in isolation during the entire round-trip cruise, reports Xinhua news agency.

The cruise ship, which left the US city on November 28 and travelled to Belize, Honduras and Mexico with more than 3,200 people on board, returned to the Port of New Orleans on Sunday, according to local media.

"In addition to requiring that 100 percent of guests and crew are fully vaccinated, per the Company's comprehensive health and safety protocols, we have implemented quarantine, isolation, and contact tracing procedures for identified cases," a spokesperson of the cruise line said in a statement.

"We are testing all individuals on Norwegian Breakaway prior to disembarkation, as well as providing post-exposure and quarantine public health guidance by the CDC," said the statement.

The Norwegian Breakaway left New Orleans on Sunday night for a new cruise.

All guests sailing on the new voyage were allowed to cancel their trip without penalty, according to local media outlets.