updated 3:05 p.m. ET April 3, 2008

LISBON, Portugal - A cruise ship carrying hundreds of passengers — most of them British — left Portugal's Madeira Islands on Thursday after being impounded for three days, officials said.

The ship pulled out of Funchal, a port on one of the Atlantic Ocean islands, at about 6:45 p.m. en route to Falmouth, England, Pedro Cartaxo of the Funchal Harbor Master's office said in a telephone interview.

More than 400 tourists and about 220 crew members aboard the MV Van Gogh had been stranded in Funchal, 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) southwest of Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, since Tuesday while authorities awaited a local court ruling on a financial dispute involving the vessel.

The court had impounded the ship, which was on the final leg of an around-the-world cruise, while it considered the case.

"The ship left with the authorization of the court," Cartaxo said. He said he did not know details of the court decision.

The Association of British Travel Agents said most of the people on board were retired British tourists.

The Van Gogh is owned by a Dutch company, Club Cruise.

Don't miss these Travel stories from msnbc.com Relax where A-listers do — at a reasonable price   Take a hike through this week's Excursion Exam Airline shenanigans have travelers miffed American Airlines plans à la carte pricing World's luxurious wilderness adventures

MORE FROM NEWS

News Section Front

American Airlines plans à la carte pricing Months after riots, Tibet tourism still suffering Dutch tourist dies in accident in western Nepal   British Airways flight diverted to O'Hare Greece's Olympic to cancel 100 flights Wednesday Japan seeks foreign tourists to boost economy Airlines’ on-time marks improve 32 injured by turbulence on China Air flight Relief for air travelers remains a long way off Southwest to expand to Minneapolis in '09 News Section Front   Add News headlines to your news reader: