Earlier this week an oil tank exploded right next to Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas. One of the passengers aboard Independence of the Seas shared this first-hand report with The Telegraph.
We were in our cabin when we heard a loud bang. At first we presumed it was the anchor – the ship was due to leave the port at Gibraltar, so we thought it was setting sail a little earlier than scheduled.
Within minutes, the captain made an announcement, ordering everyone off the open decks and balconies, and sending a rapid response team up to deck 11 where the outdoor pools and bars were packed with young families making the most of the Gibraltar heat.
Just four minutes later, we slipped our moorings and the ship sailed, leaving the gangway and two passengers behind. Within minutes, the captain said it was safe to return to the open decks.
At dinner that night, the explosion was on everyone’s lips. “We thought it was a bomb,” one middle-aged passenger said. “American ship in a British port – quite an easy target.”
