Passengers Sue Cruise Line Six Years after Disastrous Trip

A group of British passengers are suing a cruise line for injuries they sustained during a stormy Atlantic crossing six years ago.

The ill-fated cruise took place in September 2006 on the British-Australian owned Classic International Cruises' Athena. The 580-passenger ship was on a 24-day voyage to New York, New England and Canada.

Michael Bedford, who was a doctor from the Channel Islands, died after falling down a flight of stairs during the storm. His partner, Alice Robson, is now claiming £400,000 compensation, according to the BBC.

According to the Eastbourne Herald newspaper, the 16 claims of negligence against the cruise line and its owner, Arcalia Shipping Company Ltd, include failing to warn passengers to stay in their cabins and for allowing the ship to set out in bad weather in the first place.

However, part of the defence is that there have been "inordinate and inexcusable delays" in bringing the cases to court and that crucial witnesses, such as the ship's then safety officer, may not even be traceable and therefore able to attend a hearing so long after the event. The case is further complicated by the fact that the tour operator through which the passengers booked, Travelscope, went bust in 2007.

It was decreed in the High Court this week that although the delay was “at the very least unsatisfactory,” the hearing could go ahead and the case is expected to be heard later this year or early in 2013.