Canarian Weekly
15-02-2013, 14:40
THOMSON Majesty is still stuck in La Palma according to unconfirmed reports. As we go to print there are reports that the cruise ship the Thomson Majesty which is due to depart today, Friday, fromSanta Cruzand sails around the islands is still detained in the port of La Palma by police following the deaths of five crew members during a routine lifeboat drill last Sunday.
Emergency services were summoned at 12.06. The accident occurred as a life boat was lowered into the water as part of a routine muster drill by crew members. A winch cable snapped as the boat was being winched back up. It flipped over, trapping five crew members in the sea; another three were taken to hospital and have since been discharged and are back on the ship.
The ship, which has been in service since 1991, is owned by Louis Cruises and operated by Thomson, it docked this morning in La Palma at 08.20 after travelling from Gran Canaria. La Palma is a regular port of call for the ‘Island Cruise’ which carries around 2,000 passengers, many of them British. It was due to depart at 3pm for Funchal, Madeira but now remains in port. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed to Canarian Weekly, “We are aware that a tragic accident has occurred, but we are not aware that any British National onboard has been hurt”.
Thomson has also updated its compensation package to those affected passengers with a statement on message boards:
“Customers on a package holiday with us are being given a full refund of their holiday cost, including their flights. For those who are on a cruise and stay holiday, they’re being given a 50% refund of their total holiday cost to cover the cruise element of their holiday. They’ve also been taken to Tenerife to continue the stay. All customers who’ve been affected by the curtailment of the cruise will be contacted by our After Travel Customer Support Team within 28 days to confirm their refund.
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/cruise-ship-tragedy/)
Emergency services were summoned at 12.06. The accident occurred as a life boat was lowered into the water as part of a routine muster drill by crew members. A winch cable snapped as the boat was being winched back up. It flipped over, trapping five crew members in the sea; another three were taken to hospital and have since been discharged and are back on the ship.
The ship, which has been in service since 1991, is owned by Louis Cruises and operated by Thomson, it docked this morning in La Palma at 08.20 after travelling from Gran Canaria. La Palma is a regular port of call for the ‘Island Cruise’ which carries around 2,000 passengers, many of them British. It was due to depart at 3pm for Funchal, Madeira but now remains in port. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed to Canarian Weekly, “We are aware that a tragic accident has occurred, but we are not aware that any British National onboard has been hurt”.
Thomson has also updated its compensation package to those affected passengers with a statement on message boards:
“Customers on a package holiday with us are being given a full refund of their holiday cost, including their flights. For those who are on a cruise and stay holiday, they’re being given a 50% refund of their total holiday cost to cover the cruise element of their holiday. They’ve also been taken to Tenerife to continue the stay. All customers who’ve been affected by the curtailment of the cruise will be contacted by our After Travel Customer Support Team within 28 days to confirm their refund.
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/cruise-ship-tragedy/)