Cruise ship CCTV shows storm carnage

CCTV footage shows passengers and furniture being hurled across the room. Photo / Supplied

Terrifying footage from the storm-battered Pacific Sun has emerged showing passengers and crew hanging on for their lives as they dodge waves of tables, chairs and other furniture crashing past them.

Leaked CCTV pictures from the P&O Cruise ship shows an entire dining area in one of its bars crashing from one side of the vessel to the other and back again in scenes more reminiscent of the movie Titanic than the TV show The Love Boat.

The Pacific Sun, with 1732 people on board, was on an eight-day cruise when it hit seven-metre swells and 50-knot winds 600km north of Auckland in late July 2008.

Seventy-seven people were injured and at one stage the ship, with its stabilisers inoperative, rolled up to 31 degrees.

In the footage, one woman smashes face first into a pillar while other passengers can be seen being swept off their feet as crew members try to stop them being caught up in the tsunami of tables and chairs.

The clip shows a forklift, a large metal cabinet and other heavy equipment in the boat's loading area being thrown about like toys as the 47,000-tonne ship takes a pounding.

Passenger Dianne Connors of Thames said the footage had brought back traumatic memories.

At the time, she feared some people had been thrown overboard after the boat had tipped so far that the swimming pool on the top deck had emptied.

"The thing was we just didn't know when it would stop ... There was broken glass flying everywhere, there were people screaming and crying, it was just so, so scary.

"People just couldn't hold on. I grabbed hold of a waiter as he was flying past me and I could see that this experienced staff member was sweating and scared, which didn't give me too much confidence."

Mrs Connors said that when the captain announced he was about to heave-to, her husband, Brian, said, "Things are going to get worse".

They did.

She began to worry when she saw staff don lifejackets and passengers were told to return to their cabins.

Mrs Connors huddled in her cabin's bathroom with her two daughters, aged 11 and 9 at the time, while Brian, a policeman, helped with first aid in a temporary triage area set up for the growing number of injured.

"It just seemed to go on for hours. There were so many times when I thought to myself, 'This is it'."

Following the voyage, P&O offered passengers counselling and a 25 per cent discount on another of its cruises.

This outraged Mrs Connors, who was among a group demanding a full refund and reimbursement of other expenses incurred and the offer of a 50 per cent discount on another cruise.

She later received a letter of apology, a partial refund and 25 per cent off another P&O cruise, which she is planning to take on a different ship with her family next year.

"Originally, there was no mention of the fact that people's lives were at risk. Fortunately they have since said they could have handled things a bit better. They have picked up on some of the recommendations from a marine accident investigation report ... I'm pretty pleased with that outcome."

Also on board the Pacific Sun was Tony McCosh of Masterton, who had taken his wife on the cruise. Mr McCosh was flung across a room and pinned to a stairwell by a 250kg wooden chest containing giant chess pieces.

He suffered a haematoma to his leg and couldn't walk after he left the ship.

"We were all freaked out, but probably the worst thing was when the captain said we had to head back to New Zealand and we will have to make this manoeuvre, so brace yourselves."

Mr McCosh has also received a confidential payout from P&O but doubts he will go on a cruise again.

"Me and my mate bought a boat earlier this year but even now I'm a bit cagey about going out on it," he said.

A P&O spokesman said the company had acknowledged the experience of its passengers due to the "extraordinary weather conditions".

He said that, bar one, all of the more than 50 complaints brought to its attention by Mrs Connors' group had been resolved on an individual basis.

"This is the approach we have consistently taken following the incident more than two years ago," he said.

A report by British Maritime officials said it was "pure good fortune" that people were not more seriously injured or killed by unsecured furnishings including casino gaming machines, tables, a grand piano and heavy office equipment such as photocopiers.

P&O has since introduced night-vision equipment to assist teams on the bridge and provided more training and guidance in handling vessels in heavy weather.

Fittings and furnishings on all of its fleet have also been secured.