Around 100 passengers on board Saga's cruise ship Spirit of Discovery sustained injuries during a roundtrip to the Canary Islands when severe weather struck in the Bay of Biscay. The ship, which embarked on a 14-night 'Canary Island Quintet' cruise on October 24, was met with challenging conditions on its journey.
As the weather conditions worsened on the 10th day of the cruise, the planned stop in Las Palmas was canceled, and the decision was made to continue towards La Coruna to avoid an approaching storm. However, the situation took a turn for the worse when the port in La Coruna was closed, prompting the ship's crew to adjust their plans and head back to the UK earlier than initially scheduled.
During the turbulent voyage, Spirit of Discovery's propulsion safety system was activated, causing the vessel to suddenly lean to the left and come to an abrupt stop. This resulted in injuries to around 100 of the ship's 1,000 passengers, with the majority sustaining minor injuries. Five individuals required more extensive medical treatment within the ship's facilities, according to Saga Cruises.
Nigel Blanks, CEO of Saga Cruises, expressed his regrets and reassured passengers about their safety: "Spirit of Discovery has arrived safely back in port, and all passengers have disembarked and are on their way home. We have apologized to all our guests who experienced such difficult weather conditions; we know that this was a very distressing experience for them. We operate to the highest health and safety protocols and every decision was made based on advice from the ship’s Master and forecasts from our dedicated marine meteorologists. We did everything we could at all times to keep our guests as safe as possible and to support them through the storm, including expert medical attention for those injured. I want to thank our guests for their patience and understanding and all our crew, who went over and above to care for everyone onboard."
