A P&O cruise ship will likely be heading straight again to its base in Southampton early after the cruise liner was concerned in a crash with an oil tanker throughout a extreme storm in Majorca.

The ship, known as Britannia, additionally reportedly got here free from its mooring in the course of the storm and was concerned in a bump with one other vessel on Sunday, August 27.

A P&O Cruises spokesperson has mentioned a small variety of folks suffered from minor accidents in the course of the collision, however they didn't want hospital therapy.

The ship was carrying hundreds of passengers however 321 of them will now go away the ship and be flown again to their unique start line – Southampton.

On August 27, P&O Cruises Britannia was hit by extreme climate and hurricane-strength winds. Following inspections, a third-party surveyor found one in every of Britannia’s lifeboats sustained "structural issues" and can't be repaired onboard. This affected the passenger ratio.

The P&O Cruises spokesperson added: "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 cruise line defined the remainder of the visitors will have the ability to "enjoy entertainment and activities" on board for the rest of the journey.

Britannia left Palma in Majorca on Monday and the cruise ship is anticipated to succeed in Southampton on Friday.

The ship, filled with British travellers, hurtled right into a tanker within the Balaerics. Eye-witnesses were "panicking" and described how employees have been dashing round as footage confirmed poolside furnishings being strewn throughout the decks.

The Britannia, a 330-metre excessive ship capable of carry as much as 3,647 passengers, left Southampton on August 18 for the Mediterranean cruise journey, which stops at Cadiz and Ibiza. 

Majorca Daily Bulletin reported that 84 storm-related incidents have been recorded within the house of only one hour on August 24 as hurricane-force winds, reaching greater than 75mph, hit Mallorca.