Two Maltese who were stranded on the cruise ship Westerdam when it was refused entry to several ports in Asia because of a suspected Coronavirus case, have now been brought back to Malta and show no symptoms of the virus.

The ship was allowed to berth in Cambodia on Thursday and the two Maltese disembarked.

The health authorities said they were screened upon their arrival in Malta and showed no signs or symptoms of respiratory disease.

They are now in quarantine as a precautionary measure. 

In a Facebook post on their arrival in Malta, the two Maltese thanked their friends and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their assistance.

"Not the holiday we planned for, but definitely an experience to remember for a lifetime!" they wrote. 

The Westerdam was supposed to be taking its 1,455 passengers on a dream 14-day cruise around east Asia, beginning in Hong Kong on February 1 and disembarking on Saturday in Yokohama, Japan.

But the ship was turned away from Japan, Guam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand over fears of the novel coronavirus epidemic that has killed more than 1,300 people in China.

Cruise operator Holland America insisted there were no cases of the virus on board.

"Thank you Cambodia! You believed in us when no one would!" tweeted passenger Lydia Miller when the ship berthed on Thursday. "We promise to spend lots of money in your country."

Fellow cruiser Christina Kerby -- who has been posting light-hearted updates from the Westerdam -- tweeted she was "feeling rebellious tonight so I'm wearing sneakers in the dining room". 

Before the ship docked, doctors conducted health checks for the passengers. 

The samples of 20 on board who were sick were sent to the Pasteur Institute in Phnom Penh to test for the virus, said transport minister Sun Chanthol.

No coronavirus case was found, Cambodia had said.

Fresh fears

On Sunday, however, Malaysia insisted it had correctly diagnosed coronavirus in an elderly American woman from the Westerdam despite all passengers having been given a clean bill of health when they disembarked in Cambodia.

The passenger was stopped by authorities in Malaysia when she was detected with a fever and was later diagnosed with the virus.

Cambodia urged Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to "double-check" the diagnosis, but Malaysian deputy prime minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the 83-year-old American woman had already been tested twice. 

"Our protocol is actually world-class... it's a positive," she told a press conference. 

Onboard the Westerdam -- where more than 200 passengers remain along with 747 crew members -- the mood has turned "sombre", said Lorraine Oliveira, who lives in Britain. 

"Guests are very anxious on board since finding out someone tested positive," she told AFP. 

"We were (so) close to getting home and now we're back in limbo."

Passengers disembarking from the ship in Cambodia.