Costa Allegra adrift in Indian Ocean following fire
A cruise ship belonging to Costa Cruises is reportedly adrift in the Indian Ocean following a fire.
A blaze broke out onboard the Costa Allegra, sister ship to Costa Concordia, when it was 260 miles from the Seychelles coast, Italian media reports.
There are said to be no casualties among the 1,049 passengers and crew members, and the fire has been put out.
It comes only a month after the grounding of Costa Concordia which struck a rock off the western coast of Italy.
The coast guard said in a statement that it had contacted local authorities in the Seychelles, adding that the accident happened near Alphonse Island some 200 nautical miles from the Indian Ocean archipelago.
Cargo ships in the area have also been alerted to come to the rescue.
The coast guard said all passengers and crew on the Costa Allegra were "in good health and were informed promptly of the situation."
The fire broke out near the ship's generators and has now been put out.
"The Costa Allegra's engines are out but its communications are working," it said.
With permission form Travelmole
Stricken cruise ship towed to safety
Costa Concordia's sister ship the Costa Allegra, which was adrift in the Indian Ocean for several hours, is being towed towards the Seychelles this morning under guard. The ship lost all power yesterday after a fire broke out in the generator room.
Thirty-one Britons are among the 636 passengers onboard who have been left with no air-conditioning, no lighting and no cooking facilities since the blaze, which has now been extinguished. All passengers and crew are reported to be safe in their muster stations and the situation on the ship is said to be calm.
A helicopter from Mahe delivered fresh food and communication devices to the ship this morning.
A French fishing vessel is taking the Allegra to Desroches island south-west of the Seychelles, where it is expected to arrive tomorrow morning.
Somali pirates are known to operate in the area, and although they have never seized a cruise ship there are nine members of the Italian navy's anti-pirate unit onboard the Allegra as a precaution.
The passengers and crew will be taken to the one hotel on Desroches island to wait for transfers to the main island of Mahe, said reports.
The ship, which is from the same fleet as the Costa Concordia which capsized off the coast of Italy last month, has no power and there are fears an emergency generator powering radio communications could fail.
However, Costa Cruises stressed the ship was steady. The company said it had managed to reach the relatives of two-thirds of passengers via their emergency contact numbers and relatives of 413 crew members have also been kept informed of the incident.
Families in the UK can call the company's emergency line on 020 7940 3300.
The ship left Madagascar on Saturday and it was due to arrive in the Seychelles on Tuesday. Further destinations on its itinerary include Alexandria and Naples in the Mediterranean.
With permission form Travelmole
Costa Concordia's sister ship the Costa Allegra, which was adrift in the Indian Ocean for several hours, is being towed towards the Seychelles this morning under guard. The ship lost all power yesterday after a fire broke out in the generator room.
Thirty-one Britons are among the 636 passengers onboard who have been left with no air-conditioning, no lighting and no cooking facilities since the blaze, which has now been extinguished. All passengers and crew are reported to be safe in their muster stations and the situation on the ship is said to be calm.
A helicopter from Mahe delivered fresh food and communication devices to the ship this morning.
A French fishing vessel is taking the Allegra to Desroches island south-west of the Seychelles, where it is expected to arrive tomorrow morning.
Somali pirates are known to operate in the area, and although they have never seized a cruise ship there are nine members of the Italian navy's anti-pirate unit onboard the Allegra as a precaution.
The passengers and crew will be taken to the one hotel on Desroches island to wait for transfers to the main island of Mahe, said reports.
The ship, which is from the same fleet as the Costa Concordia which capsized off the coast of Italy last month, has no power and there are fears an emergency generator powering radio communications could fail.
However, Costa Cruises stressed the ship was steady. The company said it had managed to reach the relatives of two-thirds of passengers via their emergency contact numbers and relatives of 413 crew members have also been kept informed of the incident.
Families in the UK can call the company's emergency line on 020 7940 3300.
The ship left Madagascar on Saturday and it was due to arrive in the Seychelles on Tuesday. Further destinations on its itinerary include Alexandria and Naples in the Mediterranean.
With permission form Travelmole
Allegra passengers face ANOTHER 36 hours on stricken ship
Passengers stranded onboard the stricken Costa Allegra face another day and a half on the ship after it was decided that it was not safe to tow them to the Indian Ocean island of Desroches, as originally planned.
Maritime experts have decided that the Desroches port is too small for the ship and the island, which has just one hotel, does not have enough facilities to cope with the arrival of more than 1,000 passengers and crew from the Costa Allegra.
Instead, the Allegra - which was expected to arrive in Desroches tomorrow morning - has switched course and will now be towed 155 miles further to Mahe, the main island in the Seychelles, where it is not due to arrive until 6am Thursday, local time (2am GMT)
The Allegra, from the same fleet as the Costa Concordia which capsized off the coast of Italy last month, lost all power yesterday after a fire broke out in the generator room.
Passengers - including 31 Britons - and crew who were not fighting to fire were told to go to their muster stations initially and they apparently remained on deck last night as the inside of the ship is too hot without the use of air-conditioning.
The ship has no lights or wash facilities, but Costa said helicopters would continue to deliver regular food supplies, flashlights and 'comfort items' until the ship reaches land.
Costa said two tugs, presently approaching the ship, will help tow it to Mahe, increasing its speed.
A statement on the company's website said: "Costa Cruises is working with all the Authorities responsible for the coordination of the emergency, to ensure the best possible assistance to all our guests and make their discomfort as short as possible and to reach their next destination.
"The Company is sincerely sorry for the inconvenience: absolute priority is to make it as short as possible."
With permission form Travelmole
Passengers stranded onboard the stricken Costa Allegra face another day and a half on the ship after it was decided that it was not safe to tow them to the Indian Ocean island of Desroches, as originally planned.
Maritime experts have decided that the Desroches port is too small for the ship and the island, which has just one hotel, does not have enough facilities to cope with the arrival of more than 1,000 passengers and crew from the Costa Allegra.
Instead, the Allegra - which was expected to arrive in Desroches tomorrow morning - has switched course and will now be towed 155 miles further to Mahe, the main island in the Seychelles, where it is not due to arrive until 6am Thursday, local time (2am GMT)
The Allegra, from the same fleet as the Costa Concordia which capsized off the coast of Italy last month, lost all power yesterday after a fire broke out in the generator room.
Passengers - including 31 Britons - and crew who were not fighting to fire were told to go to their muster stations initially and they apparently remained on deck last night as the inside of the ship is too hot without the use of air-conditioning.
The ship has no lights or wash facilities, but Costa said helicopters would continue to deliver regular food supplies, flashlights and 'comfort items' until the ship reaches land.
Costa said two tugs, presently approaching the ship, will help tow it to Mahe, increasing its speed.
A statement on the company's website said: "Costa Cruises is working with all the Authorities responsible for the coordination of the emergency, to ensure the best possible assistance to all our guests and make their discomfort as short as possible and to reach their next destination.
"The Company is sincerely sorry for the inconvenience: absolute priority is to make it as short as possible."
With permission form Travelmole
Post a Reply
Please sign in or register an account to reply to this post.
Similar Topics
- Indian Ocean or Cruise
-
Indian Ocean Cruise
Posted by IreneDalley in Cruises
-
north goa (moved from India/Indian Ocean - luci)
Posted by shane in Goa Discussion Forum
-
Hotel Ocean Resort / Ocean Resort Palace, Costa Adeje
Posted by jane38 in Spain - Canary Islands - Tenerife Discussion Forum
- Hotel Ocean Costa caleta - fuerevetura