Cruise passengers injured as ship collides with oil tanker in Mallorca

The MV Britannia broke free of moorings on Sunday, colliding with shipping in Mallorca. Photo / Twitter; Amanda Newport, Stephen Marsh

A number of people aboard a P&O cruise ship were reported injured after extreme weather on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

P&O Britannia reportedly collided with a fuel tanker during high winds that blasted the port of Palma, on Sunday.

Passengers said that the ship broke free of its moorings, telling the BBC that the 3600-passenger liner “floated away like a paper boat”.

A spokesperson for parent company Carnival said there were minor injuries among passengers and crew.

“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 centre.”

The ship remained in port the following day to allow a technical assessment.

Onboard entertainment was scheduled for passengers, whose itinerary had been affected.

Now forced to return to its UK homeport in Southampton, staff numbers have meant some passenger sailings have been cut short.

Alarmed passengers reported seeing debris in the water and said there was some confusion caused by an “emergency drill” being conducted at the time.

MV Britannia @pandocruises breaks its moorings in @portdemallorca Palma in a #storm 27 Aug 2023
Appears to have been blown right across the harbour then moved out into Bay of Palma for a few hours before returning.
Timelapse via @MarineTraffic https://t.co/U9i4V1JbYJ pic.twitter.com/zlJapy41Wc

— BC (@mildthing99) August 27, 2023

Following the collision the captain announced there had been “no structural compromise”, in an attempt to calm guests via the PA system.

The Guardian reported that 321 guests from the ship would fly home early to reduce the number of passengers onboard, as required by maritime law.

“A limited number of guests and crew on board have been advised that they will be leaving the ship and will be returned to Southampton (or their starting point) by flight and transfer,” Carnival said.

The ship is due back to its home port on September 1.

Travellers to the Spanish resort island of Magaluf were buffeted by terrifying winds. Photo / Inastgram; estelaorts

The port city reported heavy rain and winds gusting up to 120km/h this weekend.

Extreme weather in the Balearics and southern Spain comes at the end of a heatwave.

Twenty flights were cancelled into Barcelona Airport on Sunday, because of high winds.

Estela Orts, a dancer from the resort island of Magaluf, said passengers thought they were going to die during turbulence on approach to Mallorca airport on Sunday.

“In the end it was just a scare,” she said, sharing video from the cabin to social media. The clip showed WC doors flying open and luggage rolling around storage bins overhead.

“It was the first time in my life that it has ever crossed my mind to think that THIS IS IT,” she wrote.