1 year ago
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The damaged lifeboat volition beryllium taken disconnected the vessel to beryllium mended
By Charlotte Andrews
BBC News
A cruise vessel which crashed into different vessel disconnected the Spanish seashore has returned to larboard for repair.
P&O Cruises' Britannia broke escaped from moorings and collided with a freight vessel during a tempest successful Palma de Mallorca connected Sunday.
The vessel arrived backmost into Southampton connected Friday and a lifeboat which was damaged volition beryllium removed and repaired.
P&O said it was an "extraordinary incident" arsenic the effect of a abrupt and unexpected upwind front.
Watch: Two ships collide arsenic storms deed Mallorca
The ship, which was connected a 14-day cruise astir the Mediterranean, had visited Spanish ports Cadiz, Cartegena and Ibiza earlier the incidental astatine the larboard successful Mallorca.
An inspection recovered "structural issues" with 1 of the lifeboats pursuing the collision, which could not beryllium repaired connected board.
P&O said the ship, which tin transportation 3,647 passengers, was "close to capacity" astatine the clip of the collision.
It meant 321 passengers had to permission the ship to comply with maritime rules successful the lack of the damaged lifeboat.
They were put up successful a Mallorca edifice complex for 2 nights due to the fact that of flight disruption and flown location connected Wednesday afternoon.
Image source, Jason Morris
Image caption,Passengers described however the upwind had abruptly go stormy and the entity "turned black" earlier the vessel broke loose
Britannia departed Palma de Mallorca connected Monday evening with the remaining passengers.
But the 2015 vas had to miss its last halt successful Gibraltar successful bid to instrumentality to Southampton for repairs.
It arrived astatine the Port of Southampton connected Friday astatine 06:32 (BST), wherever passengers Ingrid and Gavin McCoy were among the thousands that disembarked.
The mates were successful a java store connected the quay overlooking the vessel erstwhile the collision took place.
As the tempest hit, Mrs McCoy said: "The h2o was starting to whip up, metallic railings flying past the window, radical trying to clasp connected to stuff.
"Then determination was announcement, they said 'this is not a practice, this is simply a existent emergency'."
Image source, Gavin McCoy
Image caption,Ingrid and Gavin McCoy watched the tethers drawback and the vessel "drift away"
Mr McCoy said helium felt similar helium was successful "some benignant of drama" erstwhile it happened.
Recounting the scariest moment, helium said: "We were told to spell backmost to our cabins, we came astir a country and each of the unit were wearing beingness jackets, determination was a oversea of radical going up and down the stairs and a consciousness of alarm.
"Every cruise starts with a muster presumption drill, but you ne'er deliberation thing volition happen."
Image source, Gavin McCoy
Image caption,People aboard the vessel recorded videos and images of the incident, showing an exigency effect and debris floating successful the sea
P&O said Britannia would permission astatine 20:00 (BST) connected Friday for its adjacent travel astir Northern Europe and Scandinavia and that different aboriginal cruises would besides spell up arsenic planned.
A spokesperson for the cruise institution added that the damaged lifeboat was "being taken distant to beryllium repaired" and volition beryllium "returned to Britannia erstwhile it is ready."
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