A disturbing account of the Saga Cruises’ ship Spirit of Discovery that was caught in severe weather in the Bay of Biscay in which 100 passengers were injured. Five are reported to have been seriously injured.

BBC reports that the ship departed for a 14-day cruise around the Canary Islands on 24 October with about 1,000 people on board.

A decision was made to return to the UK early due to worsening weather, but on Saturday the vessel encountered a storm in the Bay of Biscay – where ships often encounter notoriously rough seas.

Here is where the story gets strange. It has been widely reported that the ship’s “safety system kicked in, causing the vessel to veer suddenly to the left and effectively stop.” A Saga spokesperson said most of the injuries occurred during this sudden movement.

I may be showing my ignorance but I am unaware of cruise ship “safety systems” that would result in violent motions that injure passengers. There are numerous ways, however, that a cruise ship could lose power in a storm. I suspect what is being described as a “safety system” should more accurately be described as a machinery failure. 

In 2019, the cruise ship Viking Sky, with over 1,300 passengers and crew aboard, lost all four of its engines in high winds and rough seas off the Norwegian coast and came precariously close to drifting onto a rocky reef, due to low oil pressure shutting down the propulsion plant.  Whether this or any similar systems should be called a ship “safety system” seems highly problematic, particularly as the failure resulted in a large number of passengers being injured.

While 100 passengers were injured, the remaining passengers were left fearing for their lives.

BBC quotes Jan Bendall, 75, who was on the cruise with her husband, said they were in their cabin when the captain’s voice came over the speaker system and told them to “remain seated or lie down”.
 
She said after the ship halted, it was stationary for about 15 hours whilst “caught in the middle of the storm”, during which she and her husband were “holding on for dear life”.
“It was quite frightening,” she said. “I’m not somebody who frightens easily… it was quite dramatic.”

She went on: “We were lucky – we’re quite able-bodied, but I think some of the older people and people in their own cabins were quite worried.”

Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post