Nearly two months after one of its ships hit a reef and capsized, Italy-based Costa Cruises has a new crisis Monday: A ship is adrift in the Indian Ocean following a fire.
No one on the Costa Allegra was hurt in the blaze, which was confined to a generator room.
"The shipboard fire-extinguishing system and emergency procedures were activated promptly and special fire-fighting squads extinguished the fire," the company said in a statement.
Still, the emergency alarm went off and passengers and crew members were instructed to report to their muster stations Sunday night. The ship is carrying 636 passengers and 413 crew members.
Costa, which is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp., said the 20-year-old ship is more than 200 miles southwest of the Seychelles and about 20 miles from Alphonse Island. The ship left Madagascar Saturday and was scheduled to arrive Tuesday at the port of Victoria in the Seychelles.
The Seychelles coast guard and air wing mobilized, and an aircraft was flying over the ship late Monday evening, the Associated Press reported. The island's port authority sent two tugs to the stricken ship.
"And there are fishing vessels in the vicinity, large ones, that are going to provide support as well," said Seychelles presidential spokeswoman Srdjana Janosevic. "They have assistance coming to them."'
On Jan. 13, the Costa Concordia was maneuvering close to the Tuscan island of Giglio when it struck a reef and capsized. The shipwreck is believed to have killed 32 people and the captain was arrested.
This report was supplemented with information from the Associated Press.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario