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Mallorca: P&O ship with thousands of Britons onboard collides with tanker

Cruise vessel’s mooring ropes snapped in high winds, which blew liner into nearby oil transport ship off coast of Palma

A P&O cruise ship carrying thousands of British holidaymakers has crashed into an oil tanker off the coast of Palma in Mallorca after it snapped its moorings.

The Britannia was blown by gales towards the other vessel on Sunday after a storm battered the island in the Balearics. P&O said a small number of people had sustained minor injuries.

It was understood that 321 guests from the ship will be flying home early as it heads back to Southampton with a reduced number of people on board, as required by maritime law.

Ricky Stubbs, a passenger, said he and his children had been about to disembark when the crash happened.

“We were at the stairwell next to the sunset bar,” he said. “A loud crash came from the bar and the door flung open with people running in. Within seconds there was more crashing followed by chaos as people were trying to escape the onslaught of wind and rain.

“People were being ushered in by other guests and staff. You could clearly see some had injuries due to either falling over or debris flying around, and people were distraught.

“A couple of minutes later the captain came over the speaker asking all guest to return to their rooms until further instructions.”

Stubbs said the passengers had been told they would be staying overnight while the boat was moored up so the damage could be assessed.

“Huge respect for the captain and all the staff as they managed to stay calm and keep everyone updated,” he said. “The captain made announcements every 10-15 minutes once we were back in our cabins and they did a great job in a stressful situation.”

The £473m ship, which entered service in 2015, is the flagship of the P&O fleet.

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

“Following inspections, our third-party surveyor has confirmed that one of Britannia’s lifeboats has sustained structural issues and cannot be repaired onboard.

“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.

“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 guests remaining onboard will be able to enjoy the entertainment and activities scheduled for the remainder of their trip.”

Mallorca had been experiencing winds of 75mph and torrential rains, which caused sun loungers to be blown into the air. An amber weather alert was in place across the whole of the island and had been extended until midnight on Sunday.

The Tramuntana region and the north and north-east of the island were most likely to be affected, forecasters said.

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People injured after P&O cruise ship involved in 'weather-related incident' in Mallorca

It is reported that P&O ship Britannia, carrying thousands of passengers, crashed into a freight vessel on Sunday morning.

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Monday 28 August 2023 07:42, UK

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People have been injured after a P&O cruise liner was involved in a "weather-related incident" in Mallorca, the company has said.

It is reported that P&O ship Britannia, carrying thousands of travellers, crashed into a freight vessel on Sunday morning during severe storms.

One passenger's footage showed fierce gusts sweeping across the waves from the ship's window.

Storm in Palma Mallorca breaks it’s moorings and pushes P&O Britannia into another ship and onto rocks. Ship not compromised and being pushed back into position by tugs pic.twitter.com/0RbdQIhPRT — Stephen Marsh (@millermanuk) August 27, 2023

P&O Cruises told Sky News the ship was involved in a "weather-related incident" alongside the port in Palma, Mallorca's capital.

The company added that a "small number of people" sustained minor injuries and were being treated by their onboard medical team.

It added that it would make an assessment of Britannia, which would remain in Palma for the night with "onboard entertainment and activities scheduled".

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According to the company's website, Britannia has 13 guest decks and an operating capacity of 3,647 guests and 1,350 crew.

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It left Southampton's port on 18 August for a two-week Mediterranean cruise passing through Cadiz and Ibiza, before getting caught near Palma de Mallorca.

Videos have emerged of extreme winds catapulting debris into buildings on one of the island's many resorts.

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Hundreds of passengers forced to fly home early after P&O Cruises ship collision

The p&o cruise ship britannia collided with another vessel during severe weather in palma de mallorca, article bookmarked.

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Hundreds of passengers are to leave a P&O cruise ship early after it collided with another boat during severe weather in Palma de Mallorca.

Britannia reportedly came free from its mooring during the storm and was involved in a bump with another vessel on Sunday.

A small number of people sustained minor injuries and were cared for by the onboard medical centre, a P&O Cruises spokesperson said.

Inspections revealed that one of the lifeboats sustained structural issues and cannot be repaired onboard, the spokesperson added.

This means the ship has to return to Southampton with a reduced number of passengers.

It is understood 321 people will be flying home early.

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

“Following inspections, our third-party surveyor has confirmed that one of Britannia’s lifeboats has sustained structural issues and cannot be repaired onboard.

“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 on board.

“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 guests remaining on board will be able to enjoy the entertainment and activities scheduled for the remainder of their trip.”

Britannia departed from Palma de Mallorca on Monday and is expected to reach Southampton on Friday, the spokesman added.

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Southampton-based P&O cruise ship Britannia crashes in Spain during storm

• Cruise ship
• Monday 28 August 2023 at 2:05pm

A cruise ship which left Southampton earlier this month has crashed after its moorings snapped in stormy weather.

A number of passengers onboard have suffered minor injuries.

The P&O Britannia cruise ship, which was carrying thousands of British passengers, crashed into another vessel on Sunday (August 27) just off the coast of Palma.

Photos and videos posted on social media from those onboard show the vessel struggling in the stormy conditions.

Sue Roberts spoke to ITV News Meridian from her cabin onboard the Britannia about the moment the cruise ship broke free from its moorings

Mallorca had been experiencing 75mph winds and torrential rain, which caused sun loungers to be blown into the air.

Passengers were told to remain inside their cabins while being told 'this is not a drill' by the captain after they heard a loud bang and saw debris floating in the water

The captain later confirmed that there was no "structural compromise" resulting from the incident.

In a statement P&O Cruises said: "We are aware of an incident involving Britannia on Sunday morning while the ship was alongside in Palma de Mallorca.

"We are working to assess the situation. The captain is keeping all guests updated. To allow our technical teams to make an assessment Britannia will remain alongside in Palma de Mallorca tonight with onboard entertainment and activities scheduled.”

P&O added that a 'small number' of people are being cared for onboard after receiving 'minor injuries'

The £473m ship, which began sailing in 2015, is the flagship of the P&O fleet based in Southampton, Hampshire.

The Britannia set sail from Southampton on August 18 for the Mediterranean cruise including stops at Cadiz and Ibiza and had been due to leave Mallorca on Sunday afternoon.

P&O Britannia cruise ship carrying thousands of British passengers crashes into another vessel in Mallorca

A Welsh woman on board said: 'We were up browsing on our phones in bed and heard the big horn after the bang. It was panic stations, I was bawling my eyes out'

• 14:30, 27 AUG 2023
• Updated 19:54, 27 AUG 2023

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A cruise ship carrying thousands of British passengers has crashed into another vessel off the coast of Palma in Mallorca.

The cause of the crash beside the Spanish island is currently unknown, but passengers on board the P&O Britannia ship - including a family from Wales who have spoken to WalesOnline - said they believed strong winds and untypically difficult weather conditions for the island moved the vessel into another in Palma on Sunday morning, August 27. Welsh holidaymakers staying in a hotel in Mallorca captured the storm destroying part of their hotel, which you can read about here and watch in the video above.

Another Welsh passenger sent WalesOnline video of the moment the ships collided, which you can see here .

Local publications reported on Sunday morning how a storm “suddenly hit” the island with heavy rain and hail accompanied by strong gusts. The Welsh passengers, who shared pictures of the collision but did not want to be named, said the Britannia ship was anchored less than a mile from the shore following the accident. Other passengers have since reported the ship has since docked again at Palma.

Pictures sent to WalesOnline from the ship show passenger decks damaged, with tables and chairs in disarray. A small number of people onboard have also suffered injuries as a result of the accident, P&O has said. A separate video sent by Welsh holidaymakers also in Mallorca shows a storm wrecking one resort on Sunday, even turning sunbeds over and into the pool and sending loungers flying through the air.

Read more: Hundreds attend large illegal rave on Welsh mountain as police swarm the area

One Welsh family onboard the Britannia said all passengers were told to remain in their cabins, while being told, “this is not a drill”, by the captain on Sunday after they heard a loud bang and saw debris floating in the water. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here .

One Welsh woman, who is on the ship with her partner and two children, said: “We have now been told we’re allowed to leave our cabins but we can’t do anything on the ship and all the crew are in their life jackets and doing all of their emergency things. The side of the boat is battered."

“We were docked overnight in Palma and the wind was so strong our anchors broke and we blew out into another ship," she believed. "We were up browsing on our phones in bed and heard the big horn after the bang. It was panic stations, I was bawling my eyes out. We went out onto our balcony and could see debris in the ocean and all the damage to the side of the boat and our lifeboat. The captain said: ‘Everyone to their muster stations, this is not a drill.’ Lots of people were running around looking panicked.

“Then they came around again and said everyone needs to get back to their cabins. We’re still none the wiser. I can’t see how they’ll be able to sail it again after this.”

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The Britannia set sail from Southampton on August 18 for the Mediterranean cruise including stops at Cadiz and Ibiza and had been due to leave Mallorca on Sunday afternoon. It can carry up to 3,647 passengers and is 330 metres in length. She has a crew of 1,398 and cost £473m.

“They’ve pulled us out to sea now after checking there were no fires on the ship and anchored us,” a passenger explained. “They’ve said we can leave the cabins now and we’re waiting for further updates from the captain. I think we’ll probably get off the ship now and fly back. I won’t be sailing back. As soon as this is over I’m getting off and looking for a hotel.”

Another passenger, Mark Beckwith, told WalesOnline on Sunday evening: "The captain has and is doing an amazingly calm job with the fantastic crew. 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."

On the almost biblical weather on the island, holidaymaker Wendy Penson, from Wattsville, told us: “There is a small yacht opposite us and it ripped the sail off that. The Bali beds aren’t light, they’re made of steel, but the storm just took them like they were nothing."

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: “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.”

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Cruise ship sent crashing into cargo vessel as hurricane-force winds hit Majorca

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Several passengers on board a P&O cruise ship sustained minor injuries when severe stormy weather sent it smashing into a cargo vessel in Majorca.

Along with its neighbours Ibiza and Menorca, the island is being battered by hurricane-force winds and torrential rain.

Weather warnings for wind and stormy seas have been extended into Monday for the Balearics and parts of Catalonia in Spain ’s north-east.

Thousands of people sailing on the P&O ship Britannia, which is based in Southampton, got a frighteningly close look at the extreme weather this morning.

Their vessel broke free from its moorings near the island’s shore at around 11am and collided with a smaller ship nearby, causing the walkway to fall into the sea.

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According to BBC News , the captain informed passengers after the incident that ‘there’s no structural compromise, but deck five has sustained a small amount of damage’.

Britannia, which can hold 6,647 passengers and 1,350 crew, will remain in Palma while a technical assessment is completed.

One Welsh passenger told WalesOnline : ‘It was panic stations, I was bawling my eyes out.

‘We went out onto our balcony and could see debris in the ocean and all the damage to the side of the boat and our lifeboat.’

P&O said a small number of people had sustained minor injuries and were being cared for on board.

A spokesman for the company said: ‘On Sunday 27 August, 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.’

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Storm behind P&O cruise ship crash destroys Mallorca hotel pool sending loungers flying

P&O have released statement after its Britannia cruise ship carrying thousands of British passengers crashed into a freight vessel after a storm cause havoc in Mallorca

• 22:01, 27 Aug 2023
• Updated 22:31, 27 Aug 2023

The storm said to have caused the collision between a P&O cruise ship and freight vessel earlier today also wrecked part of a resort on the island of Mallorca.

The strong gales sent loungers flying into the sea and the pool, which was captured on video by British holidaymakers. The video was taken at the Punta del Mar hotel and spa just outside Santa Ponsa on the island during the storm, which may also have caused Britannia to hurtle into another boat in the Balearics, with people on board treated for injuries.

Passengers on board Britannia described "being pushed ashore by tugs whilst confined to our cabins" after the terrifying incident. Another guest on the 5,000 capacity ship said it was 'panic stations' when the horn blew on board the boat after a storm 'suddenly hit' off the coast of Palma in Mallorca after it snapped its moorings.

In the latest hotel footage, shared by Wendy and Alan Penson, from Caerphilly, Wales, the resort is left in disarray with sunbeds flying through the air in the wind and into the sea, WalesOnline report. At least a dozen loungers then end up in the pool in the biblical scene.

Wendy said: “It said to expect thunderstorms on the news but we saw the weather change and Alan said ‘start filming’, and we couldn’t believe how quickly it changed. It was just like a hurricane coming through from the sea into the cove. There is a small yacht opposite us and it ripped the sail off that. The Bali beds aren’t light, they’re made of steel, but the storm just took them like they were nothing.

"I was speaking with someone who works at the hotel and she said when the temperature starts to drop after a period of no rain, this tends to happen. But she said they’ve never known it like this before." Alan added: “The unexpected storm happened at about 10.49am Spanish time. It all happened very quickly, as seen in the video.”

Passengers on board the cruise ship were left in tears after the crash as tables and chairs were thrown along the decks. The ship will now stay in Palma to allow for a technical assessment. Heavy rain and hail accompanied by strong 55 MPH gusts and the huge £473m ship is currently said to be anchored less than a mile from the shore following the accident.

Another passenger, Mark Beckwith, said the ship docked again in Palma on Sunday afternoon and praised the captain and crew for their efforts in calming passengers. "The captain has and is doing an amazingly calm job with the fantastic crew,” he said. “It's very calm and relaxed onboard now and we are just redocking to collect the passengers who were off the ship for the duration of the incident."

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: “We are aware of an incident involving Britannia on Sunday morning while the ship was alongside in Palma de Mallorca. We are working to assess the situation. The captain is keeping all guests updated.”

Passenger Gary McGuinness is on board and told the Mirror of his experience: "Me and my seven-year-old daughter Kasey stepped off the ship to go out for the day. I then saw a wall of water and wind heading towards us down the concrete jetty - it looked like a sort of ferocity that you would be unable to stand up in.

"The large fold out greeting umbrellas on the jetty, shot past into the sea about 80mph. We stepped back into the ship and about 8 seconds later, we broke our moorings. The walk way that we were just stood on, I think fell into the sea. But when you first witnessed it happening it looked, like the ship opposite and the concrete jetty was floating away. But of course we were floating away into a small cargo ship and rocks opposite."

He added: |I didn’t see any injuries myself. The fire brigade on the jetty and the ship itself were running an emergency drill at the time of the incident."

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P&O Britannia cruise ship crashes into second vessel off Palma coast as passengers 'left in tears'

The cause of the collision is not currently known but those onboard say the weather conditions were poor before the crash.

• 16:29, 27 AUG 2023
• Updated 17:37, 27 AUG 2023

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A P&O cruise ship carrying hundreds of UK passengers has crashed into another vessel off the coast of Palma in Mallorca. The cause of the collision is not currently known but those onboard say strong winds and bad weather conditions may have played a part in the ships bumping into each other.

Local reports suggest a storm “suddenly hit” the popular holiday hotspot on Sunday, August 27, bringing heavy rain and hail to the area. One passenger told WalesOnline that the Britannia ship is currently anchored less than a mile from shore following the accident.

They said all passengers were told to assemble at emergency points on the ship, known as muster stations, while being told, "this is not a drill", by the captain on Sunday after they heard a loud bang and saw debris floating in the water.

A Welsh woman, who is on the ship with her partner and two children, said: "We have now been told we're allowed to leave our cabins but we can't do anything on the ship and all the crew are in their life jackets and doing all of their emergency things.

"The side of the boat is battered. We were docked overnight in Palma and the wind was so strong our anchors broke and we blew out into another ship," she believed. "We were up browsing on our phones in bed and heard the big horn after the bang.

"It was panic stations, I was bawling my eyes out. We went out onto our balcony and could see debris in the ocean and all the damage to the side of the boat and our lifeboat.

"The captain said: 'Everyone to their muster stations, this is not a drill.' Lots of people were running around looking panicked. Then they came around again and said everyone needs to get back to their cabins. We're still none the wiser. I can't see how they'll be able to sail it again after this."

The Britannia set sail from Southampton on August 18 for the Mediterranean cruise including stops at Cadiz and Ibiza and had been due to leave Mallorca on Sunday afternoon.

"They've pulled us out to sea now after checking there were no fires on the ship and anchored us," a passenger explained.

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"They've said we can leave the cabins now and we're waiting for further updates from the captain. I think we'll probably get off the ship now and fly back. I won't be sailing back. As soon as this is over I'm getting off and looking for a hotel."

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: "We are aware of an incident involving Britannia on Sunday morning while the ship was alongside in Palma de Mallorca. We are working to assess the situation. The captain is keeping all guests updated."

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Stranded cruise passengers in Spain race to catch up with their ship

A month after eight Norwegian Cruise Line passengers were stranded in Africa when their ship left without them because they were late getting back, a US couple – ages 84 and 81 – were also left behind by the cruise line in Spain.

Richard and Claudene Gordon of Salt Lake City, Utah, were on a Mediterranean cruise aboard Norwegian Viva with family and friends and looking forward to celebrating Richard’s 85th birthday later this week.

While the ship was docked in Motril, Spain, on Monday, the pair took an independent excursion by themselves to the historic city of Granada, not organized by the cruise line. On their return, their bus was delayed for an hour by a rain storm, Richard Gordon told CNN by phone.

“I am a very experienced traveler and have probably been on as many as 30 cruises during my lifetime,” Gordon said. “Never before have we ever missed catching a ship on time at a port. So we are not someone who abuses the system.”

The pair missed the ship’s all-aboard time of 5.30 p.m. local time, for a sail away at approximately 6 p.m. Gordon said that at around 5.45 p.m. he spoke to a relative on board who raised the alarm that they were nearby and running late, but the relative was told by Norwegian Cruise Line staff that as the ship needed to sail on time, nothing could be done.

According to the Gordons, they arrived at the dock by taxi at 6.10 p.m., while the ship sailed away with Claudene’s medication, Richard’s eyeglasses and both their spare hearing aid batteries and phone chargers on board.

“Our cruise began in Lisbon and we departed from Lisbon about one and a half hours after the scheduled departure at 4:00 p.m.,” Gordon told CNN. “Then the next night or two, at least a half-hour late from the dock, so it is clear that they do not always leave on the exact moment scheduled.”

“They looked around and they looked around and no one was there,” Marilee Barker, the couple’s Utah-based daughter, told CNN by phone. They got a taxi to the police station where “the policeman helped them call back to the dock. And they said, ‘there’s nothing we can do.’ ”

The couple says they received no further assistance from Norwegian Cruise Line at that point, from the ship or on land.

No medication, no hearing aid batteries

“Luckily my dad has traveled, but he’s still 85,” Barker said. As the Norwegian Viva wouldn’t be docking again until Tuesday on the island of Ibiza, “they took a bus up to Granada and found a cute, cheap little B&B.”

Meanwhile, Barker says she and her husband were up to 3 a.m. finding flights and a hotel, eventually getting them on a plane to Palma de Mallorca, where their ship would be docking at 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday May 1.

Claudene Gordon texted her daughter late Tuesday afternoon Spanish time to say that Norwegian Cruise Line had made contact with them for the first time since the incident and had offered them a taxi from their Palma hotel in the morning to reunite them with their boat.

“We really received the royal treatment today,” Gordon told CNN after being reunited with the ship on Wednesday morning, two days they disembarked at Montril.

“They picked us up at the hotel in a beautiful black BMW limousine to take us to the ship. There we were met by the head of ship services who escorted us inside the ship to meet the general manager of the ship, then they escorted us to breakfast, then they escorted us to our cabin.

“We simply told them that we were abandoned at the dock with no one to meet us or tell us where to go, and they said they have already complained about the harbor master who was supposed to take care of things for them. But of course the ship had not contacted us directly for two days so that doesn’t speak so well for them.”

Norwegian Cruise Line said it disputed the time of the couple’s arrival at the pier. “The two guests who went ashore independently arrived at the pier approximately an hour late and missed the all-aboard time of 5:30 p.m. local time, for a sail away at approximately 6:00 p.m.,” a spokesperson said via email.

“A cruise ship follows a set itinerary with designated arrival and departure times. Itineraries are carefully coordinated and planned out well in advance of each voyage to ensure that all of our guests have the experience they are expecting,” they said. While there is a small window of time where late guests can be accommodated, they added, the Gordons arrived outside of this.

“After several attempts to contact these guests with the phone numbers provided, as well as trying to phone their emergency contact, we were unable to speak to them directly. However, we worked closely with the local port agents to make arrangements for the guests to rejoin the vessel.”

The spokesperson said that, prior to the hotel pickup on Wednesday morning, the cruise line had coordinated an airport pick-up for the Gordons at Palma de Mallorca the evening before but were still unable to contact the couple by phone.

In the similar incident last month, eight passengers were late getting back to their Norwegian Cruise Line ship on the African island nation of São Tomé on March 27. They then struggled for days to catch up with their ship as it made its way up the western coast of Africa.

In that case, Norwegian emphasized that the delayed guests were on a private tour that was not organized by the cruise line.

CNN’s Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.

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