Leaking ship causes cruise to be cancelled

P&O Cruises has cancelled the next voyage from Auckland of its leaking Pacific Star to undertake extensive repairs to corrosion in its hull and internal stormwater ducts.

The company said it would refund the fares of 1480 passengers booked to leave on Sunday and offer them a 25 per cent discount on a future cruise.

Managing director Gavin Smith said this followed a full review of the hull of the 46,000-tonne, 19-year-old vessel by a team of technical managers flown in from Los Angeles.

The ship turned back halfway to Tonga last week after taking in 165 tonnes of water. Mr Smith hopes the ship will be cleared to leave for a final cruise of the season on April 2.

Further reading: nzherald.co.nz/marine