An accident report has concluded a cruise ship passenger died of injuries suffered during a heavy storm on the way back to England nearly a year ago.
Saga’s Spirit of Discovery was buffeted by force 11 winds in the Bay of Biscay. injuring 100 people.
Eight were taken to hospital on the ship’s return to Portsmouth.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report said one of the passengers hospitalised died from their injuries.
The report said a combination of propulsion issues and heavy storm force conditions led to the injuries and the death.
The Spirit of Discovery was sailing to La Corona from the Canary Islands but La Coruna port had closed due to the weather conditions
The ship crew decided to return direct to the UK but the propulsion safety system was activated in the stormy weather.
It brought the ship to an abrupt stop.
“Spirit of Discovery lost propulsion in heavy weather while crossing the Bay of Biscay. This led to the vessel moving violently while the crew restarted the vessel’s propulsion,” the report stated.
“The propulsion issues, storm force conditions and vessel motions continued until the following morning when Spirit of Discovery was able to continue its passage.”
It said during this period over 100 passengers were injured, eight seriously.
The MAIB’s investigation looked at all aspects aspects of the incident to ‘determine the causes and circumstances’ of the loss of propulsion in heavy weather and the crew’s response.
