P&O cruise ship crashes into oil tanker, injuring passengers

Table Of Content

• P&O Cruise Ship Crashes Into Oil Tanker, Injuring Passengers
• New Consumer Law Mandates Clear Pricing for Cruise Lines
• Celestyal Journey To Continue Sailing The Aegean Sea
• Celestyal Journey Experiences Docking Mishap
• European and worldwide river cruises
• MSC to Construct New Hospital Ship for People in Africa
• Seven boats carrying more than 400 migrants arrive in Canary Islands

There have been 74 mph winds and torrential rains in Mallorca, with an amber weather alert in place across the island on Sunday. The ensuing crash, when MSC Opera rammed into River Countess and the dock, resulted in five passengers being injured. The ship’s captain and bridge team were found to be at fault and given jail sentences at the subsequent trial, but these were commuted to fines.

P&O Cruise Ship Crashes Into Oil Tanker, Injuring Passengers

The storm that swept across the Mediterranean coast of southern Spain over the weekend was of rare violence. The wind broke the moorings of a cruise ship in Palma, on the island of Mallorca. A P&O Cruises spokesman told news.com.au the ship was involved in a weather-related incident while docked in Mallorca, with a small number of individuals sustaining minor injuries.

New Consumer Law Mandates Clear Pricing for Cruise Lines

Cruise ship crews are always alert to weather conditions whether a ship is at sea or docked, and are able to closely monitor potentially dangerous conditions. When weather turns foul, gangways will be closed briefly to ensure guests’ safety just in case of these unfortunate incidents. After the incident, Britannia anchored offshore for several hours to wait out the weather and ensure the ship could dock again safely. Later in the evening, the ship was docked once again with tug assistance and guests were able to return. There were no significant injuries reported and no evacuations were ordered from the vessel. Both ships suffered what appears to be minor damage, including paint scrapes and scuffs as well as bent or broken railings.

Celestyal Journey To Continue Sailing The Aegean Sea

On Sunday, the cruise ship P&O Britannia collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Palma in Mallorca after breaking free from the dock during a severe storm. Several passengers were injured during the weather-related incident to brought hurricane-force winds to the island. The strong winds took passengers and crew unprepared, causing injuries from falls or flying debris. The captain asked all guests to return to their rooms until further instructions and gave updates every 10 to 15 minutes, according to a report by the Guardian. "A small number of individuals sustained minor injuries and are being cared for by the onboard medical centre," a P&O representative previously told Insider in a statement.

Celestyal Journey Experiences Docking Mishap

“On Sunday 27 August, P&O Cruises Britannia was impacted by severe weather when alongside in Palma de Mallorca,” the spokesman said.

“It’s very calm and relaxed onboard now and we are just redocking to collect the passengers whom were off the ship for the duration of the incident,” he said. Another passenger named Mark Beckwith told WalesOnline that the captain did “an amazingly calm job” with the crew on board. A video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed the view from port as the Britannia's moorings appeared to snap while the ship was pulled away by winds. “We are so sorry but these extraordinary circumstances mean that the ship is required, by maritime regulation, to return to Southampton with a reduced number of people onboard. In December 2019, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Legend and Carnival Glory had a bump while docking in Cozumel, with sudden wind gusts and strong water currents blamed. Just a few weeks before, Cunard’s ocean liner Queen Mary 2 had a narrow escape after breaking free from its moorings in the Italian port of Civitavecchia amid high winds.

P&O cruise ship returning to UK after hitting tanker in Majorca storm…& hundreds of Brits won’t even get to... - The Sun

P&O cruise ship returning to UK after hitting tanker in Majorca storm…& hundreds of Brits won’t even get to....

Posted: Mon, 28 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

MSC to Construct New Hospital Ship for People in Africa

The incident took place on the island of Mallorca and fortunately did not cause an oil spill at sea. There were thousands of cruise-goers on-board the Britannia, the flagship of the P&O fleet when it was battered by a storm off the coast of Palma de Mallorca on Sunday. Celestyal Journey, which entered service in 1994 and was acquired by Celestyal Cruises in 2023, will have many chances to redeem herself. She will call on Kusadasi many more times as she continues to offer 7-Night cruises in the Aegean Sea region until late October 2024.

“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 starting point) by flight and transfer,” the spokesperson said. “The guests remaining on board will be able to enjoy the entertainment and activities scheduled for the remainder of their trip." A spokesperson from P&O Cruises provided an official statement confirming that the Britannia was involved in a weather-related incident.

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P&O cruise ship crashes as captain makes five-word announcement to 'panicking' passengers - Express

P&O cruise ship crashes as captain makes five-word announcement to 'panicking' passengers.

Posted: Sun, 27 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The crew and guests promptly assisted others, including those who suffered minor injuries from flying debris or falls. There were also no injuries reported by guests and crew onboard or from onlookers on the shore, which meant passengers were still able to enjoy their port day as planned. Kusadasi is a bucket-list destination for many, as it is the gateway to exploring Ephesus, one of the best-preserved ancient Greco-Roman cities in the world. Log into YouTube and you’ll find any number of videos depicting graphic scenes of cruise ships colliding with each other, or crunching into the unforgiving walls of concrete docks. Some collisions occasionally hit the headlines too, such as when MSC Opera crashed into a much smaller riverboat in Venice in 2019 – fuelling passionate calls for the city to clamp down on such unwieldy visitors.

Stewart Chiron, a cruise industry expert known as The Cruise Guy, told USA TODAY in July that those types of incidents are “very rare” but have occurred in extreme weather. Stubbs said the passengers had been told they would be staying overnight while the boat was moored up so the damage could be assessed. Cruise Radio prioritizes well-balanced cruise news coverage and accurate reporting, paired with ship reviews and tips. The Britannia has capacity to carry 3647 passengers and P&O said the vessel was “close to capacity” at the time of the collision. The voyages are round-trip, and the ports that guests don’t select as their homeport will still be called upon, as well as Greece’s Santorini Island, Mykonos Island, and Milos Island. After an accident, the ship’s classification society is also notified and along with the flag state, will be involved in ascertaining the extent of damage, safety implications and requirements to continue safe operations.

“A few individuals have sustained minor injuries and are currently being attended to by our onboard medical team,” said the spokesperson. Poor weather and gusty winds can be a hazard to docked cruise ships, causing lines to break and ships to drift. The P&O Cruises ship Britannia broke free from mooring lines on Sunday morning, August 27, 2023 while docked in Palma de Mallorca, Spain during a sudden storm.

Whenever collisions occur, it is down to the captain to contact the flag state authority of the ship (most commonly the Bahamas, Panama, Bermuda or Malta), which decides whether the vessel can continue to sail. It is also possible that the next sailing, a 14-night Northern Europe and Scandinavia cruise, may be impacted, particularly if the ship needs more extensive repairs or is delayed returning to Southampton. As a result of the collision, the tanker suffered a hole in its hull on the side of the quay, but no oil was spilled into the sea. The ship was carrying thousands of British tourists who were preparing to disembark in the middle of the storm. He was on the balcony of his cabin when the cruise vessel and tanker crashed, per the outlet.

Ricky Stubbs, one of the passengers aboard, gave a play-by-play of the incident. In a report filed by The Guardian about the incident, he stated that a deafening crash echoed from the ship’s sunset bar as he and his children prepared to disembark. This was followed by a rush of people fleeing the impact and battling the fierce winds and rain. These sailings are unique, because rather than operating one cruise at a time, the round-trip sailings overlap, meaning guests embark and debark from various cruise ports while other sailings are still ongoing. For these cruises, guests are able to meet the ship in Kusadasi, Turkey; Heraklion, Crete Greece; Piraeus-Athens, Greece; or Thessaloniki, Greece.

“On Sunday, August 27, P&O Cruises Britannia was involved in a weather-related incident while alongside in Palma de Mallorca. A small number of individuals sustained minor injuries and are being cared for by the onboard medical centre. To allow our technical teams to make an assessment Britannia will remain alongside in Palma de Mallorca tonight with onboard entertainment and activities scheduled,” a spokesperson for P&O Cruises said in a statement.

Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports.Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. During the sudden storm, steady winds of approximately 23 miles per hour (37 kilometers per hour) were recorded in the area, with wind gusts as high as 59 mph (95 kph). The Britannia has capacity to carry 3,647 passengers and it was “close to capacity” Sunday when a storm came brewing off the coast of Palma de Mallorca. Gale-force winds snapped the $601.9 million vessel’s mooring and propelled it into the tanker.

The ship is currently homeported from Southampton, offering a variety of Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Scandinavia, and Norwegian Fjord itineraries. In mid-October, Britannia is scheduled to reposition to Bridgetown, Barbados, to offer Caribbean sailings through the winter months. The BBC reported on Tuesday that 321 passengers were scheduled to fly back to Southampton.