A British cruise ship that has been stranded for more than a week in the Caribbean after several cases of the new coronavirus were confirmed onboard is set to dock in Cuba on Wednesday to allow weary passengers to disembark and fly home.

The Grand Princess cruise ship sits off the coast of San Francisco, Mar. 8, 2020. The Grand Princess cruise ship set to dock at the Port of Oakland in California on Monday. Some 19 crew members and two passengers have tested positive for the coronavirus, and all the passengers will now have to undergo quarantine. Twenty Chinese nationals including 11 crew members and nine passengers are on the ship. (Photo: China News Service/ Liu Guanguan)

 Britain's Foreign Minister Dominic Raab expressed gratitude on Tuesday in parliament to Communist-run Cuba for offering a safe haven to the Braemar, which has more than 1,000 mainly British passengers and crew aboard after several Caribbean ports refused to let it dock.

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has plunged the cruise industry into chaos as the global tightening of entry requirements has left many ships stranded or quarantined. Cruise lines have suspended future trips in recent days.

"Prevention and containment of the new viral outbreaks require the efforts of the entire international community," said Cuba's foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez. "Let's reinforce health care, solidarity and international cooperation."

Operating the Braemar, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines said it would dock at the Mariel port, just west of Havana, early on Wednesday.

Passengers would return to Britain from the capital's international airport in the evening on four charter flights, it said, including a separate one for passengers who had received a positive diagnosis for coronavirus or displayed any flu-like symptoms.

Anyone not considered well enough to fly would be offered support and medical treatment in Cuba.

There are 28 passengers in isolation on the Braemar.