Storm Damages Pacific Star

A damaged P&O Cruises' ship left 1,200 passengers stranded and seasick over the weekend near Auckland, New Zealand, as gale force winds shattered windows and knocked out satellite systems. The Pacific Star, which once sailed as Carnival Tropicale, one of the earliest cruise ships, had just left Auckland when it sustained the damage caused by 30-foot-swells and 50-knot winds. A company spokeswoman said it was the first time in 10 years a cruise had been abandoned because of bad weather. The passengers, none of whom were seriously injured, were disembarked in Vila in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, while the cruise line looked to secure chartered flights. P&O said the ship would sail to Brisbane, Australia without passengers where it would undergo inspection and repairs.