Hundreds trapped on stricken cruise ship

Spanish and French rescue aircraft and boats rushed to the assistance of a holiday cruise ship that floated adrift in the Mediterranean with nearly 800 on board for hours after storms knocked out its engines.

Spanish and French rescue aircraft and boats rushed to the assistance of a holiday cruise ship that floated adrift in the Mediterranean with nearly 800 on board for hours after storms knocked out its engines.

The Grand Voyager sent out an SOS call early yesterday after a huge wave struck the ship, broke the windows of the control bridge and disabled the engines. The ship was heading home to Barcelona after a tourist cruise from Tunisia, stopping at various ports in the eastern Mediterranean. It was sailing about 60 miles south of the Balearic island of Minorca when the storm struck.

The 474 passengers, mostly Spaniards, and 313 crew were said to be in a good state and it was not necessary to remove anyone, a spokeswoman for the ship said. However, some on board were slightly injured by fierce winds of 60mph that buffeted the Mediterranean and produced waves up to 45ft high.

The on-board deluge early yesterday, when the first SOS call was made, caused the boat's electricity system to cut out, and damaged the communications and propulsion systems. After nearly a day adrift, crew on the Bahamas-flagged ship managed to get two of the four engines reactivated. It started to limp towards the Sardinian port of Cagliari at a modest 10 knots, where it was expected to arrive this morning.

The Grand Voyager was unable to enter the nearby Minorcan port of Mahon, which had been closed to maritime traffic by the force of the storm and was due to remain shut until the weather abated.

The Spanish company Iberojet, which operates the cruise ship, said yesterday evening that "the situation is under control". The vessel was sailing in company with the British gas tanker Gimmi, which was in the area and responded to the original SOS. French authorities co-ordinated the rescue operation because the stricken vessel was in waters under French maritime jurisdiction. They sent two planes to the scene, and a French maritime patrol aircraft established contact with the craft.

"The boat is in difficulty but not distress, and can still manoeuvre under its own power," a French navy spokesman said.

Two Spanish tugboats headed to the vessel's aid from Valencia and Palma de Mallorca, while a Spanish army rescue service helicopter was also sent to the area. A Spanish maritime rescue helicopter remained on standby in Minorca.

Iberojet described The Grand Voyager as a modern cruise ship, which it considered "the fastest in the world", capable of a cruising speed of 28 knots.

The leisure cruiser plies regularly between Barcelona and Tunis, visiting Livorno, Civitavecchia, Messina, Dubrovnik and Malta.

Magdalena Alvarez, Spain's Public Works minister, said that she was in "permanent contact" with the maritime rescue services throughout the day. She said she would make available "all means necessary" to guarantee the safety of all passengers and crew.