A cruise ship being filmed for a Channel 4 reality show is at the centre of allegations of drug use and group sex.
Passengers described Vision of the Seas as a “floating Geordie Shore” where people were claimed to be snorting cocaine on sun beds as partygoers vomited in the swimming pool and over the ship’s side.
After the first night of partying as the ship sailed from Barcelona to Cannes a British man was arrested as it docked in France while a film crew aboard captured the activities for upcoming reality series Shipmates.
The Daily Mail highlighted the “cocaine carnage cruise” over a double page spread on Saturday with further images featured on MailOnline.
Channel 4’s reality show involved ten young Britons joining 2,500 holidaymakers on the ship chartered by a firm called Anchored Cruise.
Vision of the Seas set off from Barcelona on June 7 and sailed via Cannes, Ibiza and Majorca before returning to the Spanish mainland five days later.
The five-part series filmed over five days will be shown on Channel 4 later this year.
The two teams of five competed in a host of challenges and relied on fellow passengers to vote for their favourite team.
There is no suggestion anyone involved in the production of Shipmates was involved in any wrongdoing.
Channel 4 said it could not comment on the behaviour of other passengers.
A statement added: “Any suggestion that an arrest or drug investigation involved anyone in the programme is untrue. We cannot comment on the behaviour of other passengers.”
Anchored Cruises chartered the ship from Royal Caribbean International.
The cruise line confirmed an arrest was made in Cannes.
A spokesman said: “We have a zero tolerance policy for the use or possession of illegal drugs on our ships. Ship charters are held to the same strict standards.
“We operate with the health and safety of our guests and crew as our highest priority, and we co-operate fully with law enforcement when we are aware of violations.
“The reported activities are entirely at odds with our values and contrary to the terms of the charter agreement.
“We have a strict conduct policy and the Anchored charter was expected to uphold the same strict standards.”
A spokesman for Anchored told the newspaper: “Anchored has a zero tolerance drugs policy. Upon boarding the vessel customs officials used sniffer dogs and other measures to ensure drugs were not take on board and it is our understanding no drugs were detected.
“The company maintains the highest standards and takes any such allegations seriously.
“A full investigation has been launched to ensure the safety and security of all passengers at future events.”