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Mallorca: P&O ship with thousands of Britons onboard collides with tanker

Cruise vessel’s mooring ropes snapped in high winds, which blew liner into nearby oil transport ship off coast of Palma

A P&O cruise ship carrying thousands of British holidaymakers has crashed into an oil tanker off the coast of Palma in Mallorca after it snapped its moorings.

The Britannia was blown by gales towards the other vessel on Sunday after a storm battered the island in the Balearics. P&O said a small number of people had sustained minor injuries.

It was understood that 321 guests from the ship will be flying home early as it heads back to Southampton with a reduced number of people on board, as required by maritime law.

Ricky Stubbs, a passenger, said he and his children had been about to disembark when the crash happened.

“We were at the stairwell next to the sunset bar,” he said. “A loud crash came from the bar and the door flung open with people running in. Within seconds there was more crashing followed by chaos as people were trying to escape the onslaught of wind and rain.

“People were being ushered in by other guests and staff. You could clearly see some had injuries due to either falling over or debris flying around, and people were distraught.

“A couple of minutes later the captain came over the speaker asking all guest to return to their rooms until further instructions.”

Stubbs said the passengers had been told they would be staying overnight while the boat was moored up so the damage could be assessed.

“Huge respect for the captain and all the staff as they managed to stay calm and keep everyone updated,” he said. “The captain made announcements every 10-15 minutes once we were back in our cabins and they did a great job in a stressful situation.”

The £473m ship, which entered service in 2015, is the flagship of the P&O fleet.

A P&O Cruises spokesperson said: “On Sunday 27 August, P&O Cruises Britannia was impacted by severe weather when alongside in Palma de Mallorca.

“Following inspections, our third-party surveyor has confirmed that one of Britannia’s lifeboats has sustained structural issues and cannot be repaired onboard.

“We are so sorry but these extraordinary circumstances mean that the ship is required, by maritime regulation, to return to Southampton with a reduced number of people onboard.

“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. The guests remaining onboard will be able to enjoy the entertainment and activities scheduled for the remainder of their trip.”

Mallorca had been experiencing winds of 75mph and torrential rains, which caused sun loungers to be blown into the air. An amber weather alert was in place across the whole of the island and had been extended until midnight on Sunday.

The Tramuntana region and the north and north-east of the island were most likely to be affected, forecasters said.

• Extreme weather

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Exclusive: Video shows moment P&O Britannia cruise ship crashes at Mallorca harbour

Some passengers have been injured in the crash, P&O Cruises has confirmed

• 19:54, 27 AUG 2023

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Footage has captured the moment a P&O cruise ship carrying thousands of British tourists crashed into another vessel near to the shore of the Spanish island of Mallorca, leaving some onboard suffering injuries.

The video, sent to WalesOnline by passenger Ben Griffiths, shows the extremely popular MV Britannia ship slowly moving towards the smaller vessel before colliding with it. The crash is followed by a loud horn.

Multiple holidaymakers staying in Mallorca and aboard the cruise ship on Sunday have told WalesOnline how the ship had been forced into the other vessel due to a storm which swept through the island on Sunday morning. Officially the cause of the collision remains unconfirmed.

Pictures sent to WalesOnline from the ship, which you can see here, show passenger decks damaged following the collision, with tables and chairs in disarray. A separate video sent by Welsh holidaymakers also in Mallorca, which you can see here, shows the extent of the storm that hit the island on Sunday as it wrecked one Mallorca hotel, even turning sunbeds over and into the pool and sending loungers flying through the air.

Following the sounding of the horn on the Britannia on Sunday morning all passengers were told to remain inside their cabins, passengers explained, while being told, “this is not a drill”, by the captain after they heard a loud bang and saw debris floating in the water, they said.

One Welsh woman, who is on board with her partner and two children, said: “We were docked overnight in Palma and the wind was so strong our anchors broke and we blew out into another ship. We were up browsing on our phones in bed and heard the big horn after the bang. It was panic stations, I was bawling my eyes out. 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.”

The Welsh passengers said the Britannia ship was anchored less than a mile from the shore following the accident. Other passengers have since reported the ship has since docked again at Palma for the night while further checks are carried out to establish if the ship is seaworthy.

Another passenger, Mark Beckwith, told WalesOnline on Sunday evening: "The captain has and is doing an amazingly calm job with the fantastic crew. It's very calm and relaxed onboard now and we are just redocking to collect the passengers who were off the ship for the duration of the incident."

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: “On Sunday, August 27, 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. To allow our technical teams to make an assessment Britannia will remain alongside in Palma de Mallorca tonight with onboard entertainment and activities scheduled.”

The Britannia set sail from Southampton on August 18 for the Mediterranean cruise including stops at Cadiz and Ibiza and had been due to leave Mallorca on Sunday afternoon. It can carry up to 3,647 passengers and is 330 metres in length. She has a crew of 1,398 and cost £473m.

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Powerful storm causes chaos at resort, cruise ship collision on Spanish island of Mallorca

The Spanish holiday island of Mallorca was slammed by a storm with wind gusts of up to 100 km/h on Sunday, causing chaos at a local hotel and caused a collision involving a cruise ship.

Video captured guests fleeing from the pool at the Sol Mirlos Tordos Hotel as sun loungers were sent flying by the powerful winds.

The storm also broke the P&O Cruises ship Britannia free of its mooring, causing it to collide with another ship in the island's capital of Palma.

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"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," a spokesperson for P&O Cruises said.

With files from Reuters

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People injured after P&O cruise ship involved in 'weather-related incident' in Mallorca

It is reported that P&O ship Britannia, carrying thousands of passengers, crashed into a freight vessel on Sunday morning.

News reporter @Reemul_B

Monday 28 August 2023 07:42, UK

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People have been injured after a P&O cruise liner was involved in a "weather-related incident" in Mallorca, the company has said.

It is reported that P&O ship Britannia, carrying thousands of travellers, crashed into a freight vessel on Sunday morning during severe storms.

One passenger's footage showed fierce gusts sweeping across the waves from the ship's window.

Storm in Palma Mallorca breaks it’s moorings and pushes P&O Britannia into another ship and onto rocks. Ship not compromised and being pushed back into position by tugs pic.twitter.com/0RbdQIhPRT — Stephen Marsh (@millermanuk) August 27, 2023

P&O Cruises told Sky News the ship was involved in a "weather-related incident" alongside the port in Palma, Mallorca's capital.

The company added that a "small number of people" sustained minor injuries and were being treated by their onboard medical team.

It added that it would make an assessment of Britannia, which would remain in Palma for the night with "onboard entertainment and activities scheduled".

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According to the company's website, Britannia has 13 guest decks and an operating capacity of 3,647 guests and 1,350 crew.

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It left Southampton's port on 18 August for a two-week Mediterranean cruise passing through Cadiz and Ibiza, before getting caught near Palma de Mallorca.

Videos have emerged of extreme winds catapulting debris into buildings on one of the island's many resorts.

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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'

• Tourists on board a cruise recounted the moments their ship struck an oil tanker on Sunday.
• The 3,647-passenger ship was blown away from port by a vicious storm while docked in Mallorca.
• Strong winds caused the ship to break its moorings and drift into the nearby tanker.

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."

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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.

—Insider Corner (@insidercnews) August 27, 2023

"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.

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Cruise ship carrying thousands of Britons crashes into oil tanker in Mallorca

The ship was carrying thousands of British tourists when it collided with an oil tanker on Sunday due to strong winds. No serious injuries were reported.

A 300-metre-long tourist cruise ship moored in the Spanish port of Palma de Mallorca collided with an oil tanker on Sunday due to strong winds.

No serious injuries were reported, the Balearic port authority said.

The ship was carrying thousands of British tourists who were preparing to disembark in the middle of the storm.

The strong winds - of around 120 kilometres per hour - hit the island of Mallorca and broke the moorings of the Britannia cruise ship, pushing it to the other end of the dock until it collided with the Castillo de Arteaga oil tanker.

"A small number of people suffered minor injuries and are being treated by the ship's medical centre," a spokesman for P&O Cruises, which owns the Britannia cruise, said in a statement.

"To allow our technical teams to carry out an assessment, Britannia will remain in Palma de Mallorca this evening, with entertainment and activities planned on board."

One of the people who witnessed the incident captured the scene in a video that has gone viral on social media.

"What a mess. The wind blew the cruise across the harbour like straw. It crashed into the wall and that stopped it... Because if it hadn't, it would have been blown away," said the man in the video.

As a result of the collision, the tanker suffered a hole in its hull on the side of the quay, but no oil was spilled into the sea.

Palma's fire brigade and port police were immediately mobilised.

After a week of intense heatwave across Spain, a storm of rain, wind, gales and hail is battering much of the country, especially in the east, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia, which are on orange alert (high risk) this Sunday and have already caused several incidents.

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Watch: P&O cruise ship crashes into freight vessel during Mallorca storms

Several passengers treated on board Britannia after suffering minor injuries when ship broke free of moorings

A P&O cruise ship collided with a freight vessel after being ripped from its moorings during a severe storm on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

A small number of people are being cared for on board the Britannia after sustaining minor injuries, P&O Cruises said.

The company said the ship, based in Southampton, would stay in Palma so a technical assessment could be carried out. Passengers said the captain had told them there was “no structural compromise”.

People aboard the vessel recorded footage of the incident, which showed furniture flying around the deck and emergency alarms sounding.

Speaking to the BBC, passenger Gavin McCoy said that at about 11am “a sudden rain and wind storm ripped us away from our dockside moorings, breaking tethering lines, water hoses, and causing the walkway to fall into the sea”, adding: “We’ve drifted well away from the berth and collided into a nearby freight/cargo ship.”

Mr McCoy said that everyone was safe and there was “no problem on the ship apart from a few scrapes and bumps to one or more lifeboats that project from the ship”.

A P&O Cruises spokesman said: “On Sunday Aug 27, P&O Cruises Britannia was impacted by severe weather when alongside in Palma de Mallorca. 

“Following inspections, our third-party surveyor has confirmed that one of Britannia’s lifeboats has sustained structural issues and cannot be repaired onboard. We are so sorry but these extraordinary circumstances mean that the ship is required, by maritime regulation, to return to Southampton with a reduced number of people on board

“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. The guests remaining on board will be able to enjoy the entertainment and activities scheduled for the remainder of their trip.”

Wind speeds of 75 mph on Mallorca, and torrential rain, led to the cancellation of more than 20 flights. Weather warnings for parts of the area have been extended until Monday.

Palma de Mallorca airport was said to be in “chaos” with frustrated passengers stranded with no accommodation and few alternative flight options. Some customers were sent to nearby hotels by airlines, only to be told no bookings had been made.

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Some Britannia cruise passengers to fly home after Mallorca storm crash

• Published 28 August 2023

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Watch: Two ships collide as storms hit Mallorca

Some passengers on board a cruise ship that crashed in a storm in Mallorca have been told they have to fly home.

The P&O Cruises vessel Britannia broke free from moorings and collided with a freight vessel on Sunday.

Inspections revealed a lifeboat was damaged and could not be repaired on board, the cruise company said.

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

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

Britannia can carry 3,647 passengers and P&O said the ship was "close to capacity" at the time of the collision.

P&O said guests were asked to "kindly volunteer to disembark".

"Together they made up the total of people who needed to leave for the ship to be able to sail safely within maritime law, given the damage to one of the lifeboats," the spokesperson added.

A small number of people were also being cared for on board after sustaining minor injuries, P&O previously said.

The captain earlier told passengers there was "no structural compromise".

Russ Dawson, from east London, was asked to leave by cruise staff earlier on Monday, but said he refused to leave the ship.

"We got a phone call to the cabin and they told us to bring our passports to reception because we were going home at five o'clock but I told them I wasn't leaving.

"I assumed people would have been asked to leave the ship based on whether they were in the same muster station as the damaged boat, but that didn't seem to be the case because we weren't," he added.

Mr Dawson was watching the weather from his balcony when the crash happened, as weather had suddenly become stormy and the sky had "turned black".

"I saw this boat start to turn around and I said 'that's going to crash into us'," he said.

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

Mr Dawson said P&O had offered him 20% off his next cruise as a gesture of goodwill, but he said that it "didn't come close" to making up for the situation.

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UK cruise ship crashes in Mallorca storms

• Published 27 August 2023

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Hundreds of passengers forced to fly home early after P&O Cruises ship collision

The p&o cruise ship britannia collided with another vessel during severe weather in palma de mallorca, article bookmarked.

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Hundreds of passengers are to leave a P&O cruise ship early after it collided with another boat during severe weather in Palma de Mallorca.

Britannia reportedly came free from its mooring during the storm and was involved in a bump with another vessel on Sunday.

A small number of people sustained minor injuries and were cared for by the onboard medical centre, a P&O Cruises spokesperson said.

Inspections revealed that one of the lifeboats sustained structural issues and cannot be repaired onboard, the spokesperson added.

This means the ship has to return to Southampton with a reduced number of passengers.

It is understood 321 people will be flying home early.

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A P&O Cruises spokesman said: “On Sunday August 27, P&O Cruises Britannia was impacted by severe weather when alongside in Palma de Mallorca.

“Following inspections, our third-party surveyor has confirmed that one of Britannia’s lifeboats has sustained structural issues and cannot be repaired onboard.

“We are so sorry but these extraordinary circumstances mean that the ship is required, by maritime regulation, to return to Southampton with a reduced number of people on board.

“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.

“The guests remaining on board will be able to enjoy the entertainment and activities scheduled for the remainder of their trip.”

Britannia departed from Palma de Mallorca on Monday and is expected to reach Southampton on Friday, the spokesman added.

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Southampton-based P&O cruise ship Britannia crashes in Spain during storm

• Cruise ship
• Monday 28 August 2023 at 2:05pm

A cruise ship which left Southampton earlier this month has crashed after its moorings snapped in stormy weather.

A number of passengers onboard have suffered minor injuries.

The P&O Britannia cruise ship, which was carrying thousands of British passengers, crashed into another vessel on Sunday (August 27) just off the coast of Palma.

Photos and videos posted on social media from those onboard show the vessel struggling in the stormy conditions.

Sue Roberts spoke to ITV News Meridian from her cabin onboard the Britannia about the moment the cruise ship broke free from its moorings

Mallorca had been experiencing 75mph winds and torrential rain, which caused sun loungers to be blown into the air.

Passengers were told to remain inside their cabins while being told 'this is not a drill' by the captain after they heard a loud bang and saw debris floating in the water

The captain later confirmed that there was no "structural compromise" resulting from the incident.

In a statement P&O Cruises said: "We are aware of an incident involving Britannia on Sunday morning while the ship was alongside in Palma de Mallorca.

"We are working to assess the situation. The captain is keeping all guests updated. To allow our technical teams to make an assessment Britannia will remain alongside in Palma de Mallorca tonight with onboard entertainment and activities scheduled.”

P&O added that a 'small number' of people are being cared for onboard after receiving 'minor injuries'

The £473m ship, which began sailing in 2015, is the flagship of the P&O fleet based in Southampton, Hampshire.

The Britannia set sail from Southampton on August 18 for the Mediterranean cruise including stops at Cadiz and Ibiza and had been due to leave Mallorca on Sunday afternoon.

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British tourists ‘left in tears’ after P&O cruise ship crashes into oil tanker

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Panicked British tourists onboard the P&O ship that crashed into an oil tanker in Majorca say they were left in tears.

The packed cruise ship broke free from its moorings in Palma and collided with the smaller vessel nearby yesterday morning after a storm hit the island.

Some of the thousands of Brits on board were left with minor injuries and were being cared for by medical staff, P&O said.

The £473m boat, called the Britannia, remained in Palma overnight while the damage was being assessed.

Passengers said they heard a large bang when the crash happened at around 11am and saw debris floating in the water. The captain then went on the ship’s loudspeaker to say ‘this is not a drill’.

Speaking yesterday, one woman onboard the ship with her partner and two children told Wales Online : ‘We were docked overnight in Palma and the wind was so strong our anchors broke and we blew out into another ship.

‘We were up browsing on our phones in bed and heard the big horn after the bang. It was panic stations, I was bawling my eyes out.’

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Another passenger, Gary McGuinness, told The Mirror he and his seven-year-old daughter Kasey had stepped off the ship to go out for the day when he noticed a ‘wall of water and wind’ heading towards them down a concrete jetty.

‘It looked like a sort of ferocity that you would be unable to stand up in. it looked like a sort of ferocity that you would be unable to stand up in,’ he said.

The pair then went back onto the ship, and according to Gary ‘about eight seconds later’ the boat broke free of its moorings’.

He thinks the walk-way they had just stepped across may have fallen into the sea.

A witness, meanwhile, described seeing the ship ‘carried to the other side of the harbour like it was a straw’.

‘Something must surely have been damaged. It went like a missile to the other side.’

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises, owned by Carnival, said yesterday: ‘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.

‘To allow our technical teams to make an assessment Britannia will remain alongside in Palma de Mallorca tonight with onboard entertainment and activities scheduled.’

The Britannia set sail from Southampton on August 18 for a Mediterranean cruise.

The ship can carry up to 3,647 passengers and 1,350 crew, is 330 metres long and weighs 143,000 tonnes, according to the company’s website.

Heavy rains and winds 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.

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Storm behind P&O cruise ship crash destroys Mallorca hotel pool sending loungers flying

P&O have released statement after its Britannia cruise ship carrying thousands of British passengers crashed into a freight vessel after a storm cause havoc in Mallorca

• 22:01, 27 Aug 2023
• Updated 22:31, 27 Aug 2023

The storm said to have caused the collision between a P&O cruise ship and freight vessel earlier today also wrecked part of a resort on the island of Mallorca.

The strong gales sent loungers flying into the sea and the pool, which was captured on video by British holidaymakers. The video was taken at the Punta del Mar hotel and spa just outside Santa Ponsa on the island during the storm, which may also have caused Britannia to hurtle into another boat in the Balearics, with people on board treated for injuries.

Passengers on board Britannia described "being pushed ashore by tugs whilst confined to our cabins" after the terrifying incident. Another guest on the 5,000 capacity ship said it was 'panic stations' when the horn blew on board the boat after a storm 'suddenly hit' off the coast of Palma in Mallorca after it snapped its moorings.

In the latest hotel footage, shared by Wendy and Alan Penson, from Caerphilly, Wales, the resort is left in disarray with sunbeds flying through the air in the wind and into the sea, WalesOnline report. At least a dozen loungers then end up in the pool in the biblical scene.

Wendy said: “It said to expect thunderstorms on the news but we saw the weather change and Alan said ‘start filming’, and we couldn’t believe how quickly it changed. It was just like a hurricane coming through from the sea into the cove. There is a small yacht opposite us and it ripped the sail off that. The Bali beds aren’t light, they’re made of steel, but the storm just took them like they were nothing.

"I was speaking with someone who works at the hotel and she said when the temperature starts to drop after a period of no rain, this tends to happen. But she said they’ve never known it like this before." Alan added: “The unexpected storm happened at about 10.49am Spanish time. It all happened very quickly, as seen in the video.”

Passengers on board the cruise ship were left in tears after the crash as tables and chairs were thrown along the decks. The ship will now stay in Palma to allow for a technical assessment. Heavy rain and hail accompanied by strong 55 MPH gusts and the huge £473m ship is currently said to be anchored less than a mile from the shore following the accident.

Another passenger, Mark Beckwith, said the ship docked again in Palma on Sunday afternoon and praised the captain and crew for their efforts in calming passengers. "The captain has and is doing an amazingly calm job with the fantastic crew,” he said. “It's very calm and relaxed onboard now and we are just redocking to collect the passengers who were off the ship for the duration of the incident."

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: “We are aware of an incident involving Britannia on Sunday morning while the ship was alongside in Palma de Mallorca. We are working to assess the situation. The captain is keeping all guests updated.”

Passenger Gary McGuinness is on board and told the Mirror of his experience: "Me and my seven-year-old daughter Kasey stepped off the ship to go out for the day. I then saw a wall of water and wind heading towards us down the concrete jetty - it looked like a sort of ferocity that you would be unable to stand up in.

"The large fold out greeting umbrellas on the jetty, shot past into the sea about 80mph. We stepped back into the ship and about 8 seconds later, we broke our moorings. The walk way that we were just stood on, I think fell into the sea. But when you first witnessed it happening it looked, like the ship opposite and the concrete jetty was floating away. But of course we were floating away into a small cargo ship and rocks opposite."

He added: |I didn’t see any injuries myself. The fire brigade on the jetty and the ship itself were running an emergency drill at the time of the incident."

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Cruise ship crashes off Mallorca as thousands of terrified passengers seen in tears

A packed cruise ship carrying thousands of passengers has crashed into an oil tanker off the coast of the beautifial island of Mallorca after it snapped its moorings.

Holidaymakers were left stranded after gales sent the P&O Britannia hurtling into another vessel into the city of Palma in the Balearic island. It was reported that a storm “suddenly hit” the island with heavy rain and hail accompanied by strong 55mph gusts. The huge ship, worth close to $600million, is currently said to be anchored less than a mile from the shore following the terrifying accident.

Passengers were told “this is not a drill”, by the captain earlier after they heard a loud bang and saw debris floating in the water. Terrifying footage shows poolside furniture being tossed around as frantic staff attempted to calm customers on board the 140,000-tonne ship. Thousands have been left in waiting rooms as they await updates.

One woman, who is on the ship with her partner and two children, said: “We have now been told we’re allowed to leave our cabins but we can’t do anything on the ship and all the crew are in their life jackets and doing all of their emergency things. The side of the boat is battered."

She said: “We were docked overnight in Palma and the wind was so strong our anchors broke and we blew out into another ship. We were up browsing on our phones in bed and heard the big horn after the bang. It was panic stations, I was bawling my eyes out.

"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. The captain said: ‘Everyone, this is not a drill.’ Lots of people were running around looking panicked. Then they came around again and said everyone needs to get back to their cabins. We’re still none the wiser. I can’t see how they’ll be able to sail it again after this.”

It comes as flights across the islands face cancellations and delays over the challenging weather conditions. The Majorca Daily Bulletin reported that 84 storm-related incidents were reported inside an hour today.

A witness to the event told the publication: "What a mess. A 200-tonne ship has carried it to the other side of the harbour like it was straw. Something must surely have been damaged. It went like a missile to the other side."

The Britannia set sail from Southampton in the United Kingdom on August 18 for the Mediterranean cruise, including stops at Cadiz and Ibiza. The ship can carry up to 3,647 passengers and is 330 meters in length. She has a crew of 1,398.

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises, which runs the ship, said: “We are aware of an incident involving Britannia on Sunday morning while the ship was alongside in Palma de Mallorca. We are working to assess the situation. The captain is keeping all guests updated.”

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They missed the boat — literally.

An elderly American couple was left behind by Norwegian Cruise Line in Spain this week after they returned late to the ship and the vessel refused to wait for them — despite it routinely departing behind schedule during the voyage.

“I am a very experienced traveler and have probably been on as many as 30 cruises during my lifetime,” Salt Lake City resident Richard Gordon, 84, told CNN .

“Never before have we ever missed catching a ship on time at a port. So we are not someone who abuses the system.”

Gordon and his wife Claudene, 81, had gone on an independently booked excursion to view the city of Grenada while their ship, Viva, was docked in Motril on Monday. Due to a rainstorm, they ran late for the 5:30 p.m. all-aboard time ahead of a scheduled 6 p.m. departure.

At 5:45 p.m. the Gordons, who were taking the cruise to celebrate Richard’s 85th birthday this week, notified a relative on board that they were running late but were nearby.

The family member was told that the Viva had to leave on time and would not wait. By the time the octogenarians arrived at 6:10 p.m., the boat had left the harbor, Gordon told the outlet.

“Our cruise began in Lisbon and we departed from Lisbon about one and a half hours after the scheduled departure at 4 p.m.,” he claimed.

“Then the next night or two, at least a half-hour late from the dock, so it is clear that they do not always leave on the exact moment scheduled.”

When the Viva set sail, the Gordons were left without their medication, eyeglasses and spare hearing aid batteries, which were on board.

Back in Salt Lake City, their daughter Marilee Baker, stayed up into the wee hours of the morning trying to book her parents a flight to Palma de Mallorca, where the boat was making its next call Wednesday morning, according to CNN.

The Gordons claim Norwegian didn’t make first contact with them until late Tuesday, and by the time they got to Mallorca, they were met with a luxury taxi service to bring them to the Viva.

“They picked us up at the hotel in a beautiful black BMW limousine to take us to the ship. There we were met by the head of ship services who escorted us inside the ship to meet the general manager of the ship, then they escorted us to breakfast, then they escorted us to our cabin,” Gordon told CNN, adding the boat blamed the Motril harbormaster, who they said was supposed to organize travel with the couple.

Despite their reception, Gordon said the boat’s failure to communicate with them left a sour taste in their mouth.

“The ship had not contacted us directly for two days so that doesn’t speak so well for them,” he said.

Norwegian Cruise Line disputed the couple’s account of what happened, telling The Post they were a full hour behind the 5:30 p.m. all-aboard time, and that it tried numerous times without success to contact the couple after they were left behind.

“After several attempts to contact these guests with the phone numbers provided, as well as trying to phone their emergency contact, we were unable to speak to them directly. However, we worked closely with the local port agents to make arrangements for the guests to rejoin the vessel,” a Norwegian Cruise Lines spokesperson said.

“It is important to note that a delayed departure has the potential to impact the ship’s ability to deliver its planned itinerary and thus influence the experience for all guests onboard. While this was a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for ensuring they return to the ship at the published time.”  

The Gordons are the second set of passengers to complain about being left behind by Norwegian Cruise Lines in just a month.

Earlier in April, nine passengers — including six Americans — missed their boat in Africa and were left to fend for themselves to catch up with the boat in Senegal.

The passengers — including a paraplegic person and an elderly man with a heart condition — were left stranded on the island without any belongings like money, medicine and necessary travel documents.

Norwegian reimbursed some costs they endured while trying to make it back onto the ship, the cruise line said .

Though not waiting for passengers late by their own doing is a common procedure on cruise ships , Norwegian has faced scrutiny in recent weeks after one of the passengers left behind in Africa had recently suffered a stroke and was sent to the hospital when the ship departed.

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