Passengers on a cruise described the sheer chaos that broke out when their ship collided with an oil tanker: 'There was screaming and shouting and panic'

31.08.2023 - 07:55 / insider.com

Passengers on a cruise ship swept away from port are sharing what happened in the dramatic moment their vessel struck an oil tanker in the Balearic Islands.

The Britannia, a vessel under P&O Cruises, drifted into the tanker on Sunday after its moorings broke during a storm along the coast of Palma in Mallorca. The Britannia has a 3,647-passenger capacity, and is 1,082 feet long. 

One tourist on board, Ricky Stubbs, told The Guardian that he and his family were on a stairwell near the sunset bar when the ships collided.

"A loud crash came from the bar and the door flung open with people running in," he told the outlet. "Within seconds there was more crashing followed by chaos as people were trying to escape the onslaught of wind and rain."

Stubbs said he could "clearly see" some passengers had sustained injuries, and that people were "distraught."

Minutes later, the captain told guests over the ship's speakers to return to their rooms, Stubbs told The Guardian.

Russ Dawson, another passenger, told the BBC that the storm kicked up suddenly and that the sky "turned black."

He was on the balcony of his cabin when the cruise vessel and tanker crashed, per the outlet.

"There was a bang when it hit the boat and there was screaming and shouting and panic," Dawson told the BBC.

A Welsh passenger, who was not named, told Wales Online that she, her partner, and two children were "browsing on our phones in bed and heard the big horn after the bang."

"It was panic stations, I was bawling my eyes out," she said, per the outlet. "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."

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.

"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.

One of the Britannia's lifeboats was damaged, meaning the cruise was required to return to Southampton with a "reduced number of people onboard," and some passengers and crew were told they had to leave the ship, per the statement.

The BBC reported on Tuesday that 321 passengers were scheduled to fly back to Southampton.