A P&O cruise ship has collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Spain, injuring several passengers on board.
There were thousands of cruise passengers on board Britannia, the flagship of P&O’s fleet when it was hit by a storm off the coast of Palma de Mallorca on Sunday.
Footage posted to social media showed the vessel rocking in the storm’s gusts and slipping away after the moorings holding it in place broke.
The ship was then blown by the wind towards another ship.
Several cruise passengers were injured by falls, or flying debris.
There are 74 mph winds and heavy rain in Mallorca, with an amber weather warning across the island on Sunday.
A technical assessment after the crash found the lifeboat damaged beyond repair.
P&O said 321 guests will be flown home early when the ship departs for Southampton, UK, with fewer people on board as this is required under maritime law.
Cruise ship Britannia collides with oil tanker off Mallorca coast.via news.com.au
Britannia has a capacity to carry 3647 passengers and P&O said the ship was “close to capacity” at the time of the collision.
Passenger Ricky Stubbs said he and his children were getting out at the time of the crash.
“We were on the stairs next to the sunset bar,” he told The Guardian. “A loud crash came from the bar and the door opened with people running in. Within seconds, more stampedes followed the chaos as people tried to escape the onslaught of wind and rain.
“People are brought in by other guests and staff. You can clearly see someone getting hurt from falling or flying debris, and people are confused.”
The vessel was “close to capacity” at the time of the collision. Jason Morris via news.com.au
“A few minutes later the captain came over the loudspeaker asking all guests to return to their rooms until further orders.”
“Big credit to the captain and all the crew for managing to stay calm and keep everyone up to date. The captain made an announcement every 10-15 minutes once we got back to our cabin and they did a great job in a stressful situation.”
Fellow passenger Russ Dawson, from East London, was on his balcony when he noticed the weather turned stormy and “the sky turned black.”
“I saw this boat start to turn and I said ‘it’s going to hit us,'” he told the BBC.
The ship slipped away after rocking due to strong winds breaking the moorings.Twitter/National News Channel India
“There was a thud as it hit the boat and there were screams and screams and panic.”
He has been offered 20 per cent off his next cruise but says it “doesn’t come close” to making up for it.
A P&O Cruises spokesperson told news.com.au the ship was involved in a weather-related incident while docked in Mallorca, with a small number of individuals suffering minor injuries.
The injured are being treated by the medical center on board.
Several cruise passengers were injured by falls or flying debris.Gavin McCoy via news.com.au
“On Sunday 27 August, P&O Cruises Britannia was affected by bad weather while in Palma de Mallorca,” the spokesman said.
“Following an inspection, our third party surveyors have confirmed that one of Britannia’s lifeboats has suffered structural problems and cannot be repaired on board.”
“We are very sorry but these exceptional circumstances mean that the ship is required, in accordance with maritime regulations, to return to Southampton with a reduced number of people.”
“A limited number of guests and crew on board have been advised that they will be leaving the ship and will be returned to Southampton (or their point of departure) by flight and transfer.”
“Guests staying on board will be able to enjoy the entertainment and activities scheduled for the remainder of their trip.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
