Within hours of making history as the first cruise ship in 40 years to use the centre of Liverpool to embark passengers, Ocean Countess suffered an embarrassing engine failure which left it stranded in the Irish Sea.
Instead of heading north for an eight-night Jubilee voyage to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, the ship – with a full complement of 719 passengers on board – was left adrift near the Isle of Man when an electrical problem caused a loss of main engine power.
After drifting in calm seas for three hours, the ship was taken into Holyhead on the island of Anglesey where engineers spent the day carrying out a precautionary survey. Full power and all services have been restored, and passengers were taken on unexpected – and complimentary – tours of the Welsh countryside.
One passenger told me: “Still at Holyhead. Hoping to depart tomorrow, but missing out Aberdeen & Leith. Most of us are still happy!”
A statement from operators Cruise & Maritime Voyages tonight said: “Following the survey by our technical team this afternoon and a visit by Port State Control officials, we have been cleared to sail from Holyhead to resume our published itinerary.
“Once the repairs have been completed and approved by Lloyd’s Register tomorrow, we should be in a position to announce our precise sailing time during the early afternoon.
“We then plan to continue our Diamond Jubilee Celebrations and proceed as originally scheduled directly to Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth then on to Scrabster, Fort William and Rothesay on the Isle of Bute before arriving back in Liverpool on Wednesday June 6.
Operations director Richard Bastow said: “Our passengers have enjoyed the afternoon visiting Holyhead and will be offered further complimentary tour options tomorrow prior to sailing. We share our customers’ disappointment regarding the disruption caused to their holiday and would like to thank them for their continued patience and support.”
But it was all very embarrassing after the tumultuous reception the ship received on Tuesday. Liverpool was en fête to celebrate the ship being the first to use the city’s new terminal facilities, opened after a hard-fought battle with the government.
The departure of Ocean Countess was celebrated by the ringing of cathedral bells, an aria by opera singer Danielle Thomas, and a chorus of sirens across the Mersey.
The Countess of Derby scattered ceremonial silver coins into the Mersey from the landing stage, and Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson said: ” This is a milestone in Liverpool’s history. Getting this cruise turnaround facility has always been a top priority for me. Tourism and culture will continue to grow and there’s no reason why we can’t have the halcyon days of the 1960s back again when liners were queuing to use the landing stage.
“We will fulfil our promise to the cruise lines to make this such a special place to bring people to?”
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