P&O Cruise Ship MV Britannia Blown From Her Moorings, Collides with Tanker in Mallorca, Spain

The P&O cruise ship MV Britannia was blown from her dockside moorings in Mallorca, Spain on Sunday during a sudden and intense storm. The ship drifted across the harbor and collided with a moored oil tanker, the Castillo de Arteaga. Both ships suffered minor damage.

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises, owned by Carnival (CCL.L), said, “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 center.”

A technical assessment was carried out on the cruise ship in Palma, where experts found “structural issues” with one of the lifeboats.

P&O said a total of 321 passengers would be returned to Southampton, or their starting point, by flight and transfer.

Britannia, which entered service in 2015, is 330 meters long and has a gross tonnage of 143,000 tons, according to the company’s website. It has 13 guest decks with an operating capacity of 3,647 guests and 1,350 crew.

Heavy rains have swept across parts of the Balearic Islands, including Mallorca, and Catalonia in northeastern Spain. Flights from Barcelona airport were delayed throughout Sunday because of the high winds.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post.

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