Cruise ship forced to divert after dangerous encounter with cyclone
The P&O cruise ship, which was recently forced to turn back to Sydney to kick off seven passengers involved in a buck’s party brawl, has encountered trouble again.
The Pacific Explorer has been diverted after heading towards the eye of a category four tropical cyclone.
Crew members were caught off guard as the ship rerouted to Nouméa, New Caledonia, instead of stopping in the Isle of Pines.
The cyclone is expected to pass through Vanuatu and New Caledonian before making its way toward Auckland.
Residents in Vanuatu, New Caledonia and New Zealand have been instructed to monitor the storm as it is expected to be destructive.
A spokesman for Carnival Cruises said, “Our marine operations people have been tracking the development of this weather system for several days.
“As a general principle our ships sail away from severe weather systems and this one is no exception.
“Pacific Explorer is alongside at Noumea today instead of making a scheduled call to Isle of Pines. We will continue to monitor conditions and respond accordingly on the basis that safety is, as always, the first priority.”
Recently, the same ship returned to Sydney after two different bucks parties started fighting after an argument over a queue for the toilet.
Six men and one woman were kicked off the cruise when it arrived in Sydney.
The 37-year-old woman was later charged for allegedly smashing an empty wine bottle over a man’s head.
Witnesses of the fight said it broke out at a bar on the ship in front of 100 other passengers.
“It was just a very good bucks party,” one of the men later told 7 News.
Have you ever been on a cruise and encountered bad weather? Tell us in the comments below.