P&O launches Oriana inquiry

Richard Fennelow and David Dingle: Promised inquiry

A full internal inquiry has been launched into how luxury cruise liner Oriana could have been damaged by a freak wave on a cross-Atlantic trip.

Three passengers were injured and three suffered from shock when a 50-foot wave struck the ship, shattering the windows of six cabins and flooding 20.

The ship was 600 miles west of Ireland on a cruise from New York to Southampton in force 10 seas when the incident occured on Thursday at about 1540BST.

I've seen seas of greater ferocity, but this is more than I experienced before

Captain Richard Fennelow

Speaking for the first time about the incident, Captain Richard Fennelow told a press conference in Southampton he had never experienced anything like it in more than 20 years at sea.

"These things do happen to transatlantic liners on occasions," he added.

"The ship was handling the weather very well before this ocurrence. It was rolling easily and staying ahead of the sea and the swells.

"Witnesses said the wave was about twice the height of the others we were navigating which were about 20 feet high.

"There was no panic. There was obviously apprehension that I was able to alleviate by telling them by broadcast what was going on."

Floods

Captain Fennelow said he did not have the technical expertise to say why the windows, built to international safety specifications, had shattered.

Eight passengers and one crew were in the six cabins struck by the wave. One cabin was flooded to a depth of three foot and water leaked down the stairs and across corridors.

Following the incident, Captain Fennelow turned the ship into the wind and slowed her speed in order to carry out repairs.

The windows were boarded up with metal shutters welded into place.

P&O managing director David Dingle stressed the incident could not be compared to events this week in the Aegean Sea, when two ferries hit rocks.

The Oriana was launched by the Queen five years ago

"The ship was specifically designed to withstand the toughest ocean going conditions, and really this was an absolute freak," said Mr Dingle. "It was extremely rare and hard to anticipate.

Behind schedule

"At no stage was the ship in any danger whatsoever. The ship has an unblemished record and we would like to stress that all our passengers can be confident they will be travelling in safety.

"We need to undertake a precise investigation as to why this happened and take any remedial measures accordingly."

The Oriana arrived in Southampton at 0130BST on Sunday morning, 18 hours behind schedule. It was another seven and a half hours before its 1,525 passengers and 800 crew could disembark.

After repairs were carried out, it will set sail on Sunday evening for Madeira and the Canary Islands, a day after its scheduled departure.

That cruise has been shortened from 12 to 11 days and passengers will be compensated accordingly.

Oriana was launched five years ago by the Queen. The £200m P&O flagship has had a number of technical problems since its launch.

Its propellor broke down on its maiden voyage and it twice broke down within its first month of operation.