WE’RE MAROONED
£150m luxury cruise ship ripped from its moorings leaving passengers stranded
A GIANT cruise ship was ripped from its moorings with its gangway still attached as yesterday’s storm crashed into Scotland’s coast.
The Oceania Nautica was cast adrift off Greenock after her stern line snapped in high winds swept in by Storm Ali.
Almost 500 passengers who had gone ashore for tours were left stranded as the £150million liner was secured by three tugs in the Firth of Clyde. The 11-deck ship, operated by Oceania Cruises, was on a 12-day trip around the British Isles and was due to leave Greenock last night for Belfast, according to passengers.
One onlooker claimed the gangway was still attached to the harbour when the Nautica broke free at 11am yesterday. The owners of the liner, which has a capacity of 800, said no one was injured as a result of the incident.
Passenger Anne Van Tol, 67, from Michigan, said: ‘We’ve been out on a tour of the Highlands today, but had to turn around because the bus driver said it was too windy. When we got back to Greenock we were taken to the town hall, which we thought was quite strange and alarming.
‘We were then told the ship had broken its stern line and was in the middle of the water.
‘I heard the gangway was still attached to the harbour and when it broke away it fell into the sea. It’s lucky nobody was on it at the time.’
Janine Missimer, 62, from Los Angeles, said she and her friend had been visiting Stirling when the incident happened but were not told about it until later.
Miss Missimer said: ‘We were up at Stirling Castle for the day and came back to see the boat in the middle of the water.
‘We had no idea what was happening but our biggest concern was how we were going to get back on the ship.
‘The weather is totally different from what I’ve been experiencing in LA. It’s serious wind here, hurricane force. In the States this would be a Category Two.’
Florida-based Oceania Cruises confirmed that no one on board the
‘At least I got the chance to try haggis’
Nautica had been injured, and that staff members, as well as passengers, were among those stranded ashore.
According to other tourists from the liner, around 200 passengers were on board when the incident took place.
Tyra Duncan-Hall, 78, from Austin, Texas, said: ‘That wind is really something. I’ve been on a number of cruises before and normally it’s coming into dock that’s the problem, so it’s a nice change to be stuck on land.’
Jacquelyn Green, 77, from San Francisco, said: ‘We’ve been out on a tour for the day so it’s not been too bad, but that wind, it’s amazing, it was knocking us off our feet. I’ve never experienced that before.
‘At least I got the chance to try haggis in the pub.’
Dozens of stranded passengers could be seen in Greenock yesterday afternoon, with many seeking refuge from the torrential rain and battering winds in pubs and restaurants.
Inverclyde Council offered Greenock Town Hall as a shelter for those stranded on land.
A spokesman said: ‘The council has been working today with staff at Greenock Ocean Terminal to make sure that arrangements were in place to support the passengers and crew.
‘We arranged for the Greenock Town Hall to be opened up and organised catering.
‘We even managed to arrange a piper to keep our visitors entertained with some traditional Scottish music.’
He added: ‘Everyone has been in good spirits despite the weather. The staff at Greenock Ocean Terminal and the cruise operator are continuing to work towards the vessel being safe to board this evening, but that will depend on the weather conditions.’
Local residents described seeing the boat ‘spinning’ in the water before it broke free of its moorings.
James McCairn said: ‘The full cruise ship turned round, spun a full 180 and ended up facing the other way. When they got it straight it broke the moorings.’
Paul McCurdy said the vessel had dropped its anchor to stop drifting, adding: ‘Tugs were on the scene trying to hold it in place while they prepared the engines. No smoke from the funnel indicated that the engines were on standby – not good, it could well have been avoided.
‘The wind pushed it into the bay. Emergency procedure is to drop an anchor to help stop the boat from drifting. The tugs and anchor managed to hold it till they restored power to the vessel.’
A statement from Oceania Cruises said: ‘Nautica encountered extremely strong winds which resulted in the parting of mooring lines and the vessel being detached from the dock.
‘All guests and crew on board are safe and there were no injuries.’
Passengers finally boarded the vessel at 8.30pm last night.
John MacLeod – Page 19