A British-owned cruise ship is due to sail into the Cuban capital, Havana, on Wednesday, the first in years to dock in the Communist-run island.

一艘英国游艇本周三将要驶往古巴首都哈瓦那，这是近年来首次停靠在该共产主义国家岛屿的船只。

The Thomson Dream is scheduled to dock in Havana on Wednesday
The arrival of the Thomson Dream in Cuba is seen as a sign that European cruise companies are starting to return to the island.

Visits from European cruise ships dwindled¹（减少） after the then-president Fidel Castro criticised the business for leaving "rubbish, but little income".

The ship can carry 1,500 passengers.

The BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says the Thomson Dream will be by far the largest cruise ship to have sailed to Cuba in almost six years.

None of the many cruise companies based in Miami, Florida, can make the trip due to the decades-old US trade embargo² which severely³ restricts trade with the island.

Our correspondent says Spanish- and Norwegian-owned cruise ships were the first to return to Cuba over the past few months.

In an interview with a Cuban magazine in December, a Cuban Ministry⁴ of Tourism official said Canada and Russia would also send cruise ships to the island.

The official said negotiations⁵ were also under way with Canadian cruise companies for their ships to dock there during the next winter season.