Posted on 02/27/2012 9:52:41 AM PST by FoxPro
An Italian cruise ship with about 1,000 people on board is reported to be adrift off the coast of Seychelles.
The Italian coast guard said Monday the Costa Allegra is drifting in the Indian Ocean, between Madagascar and the Seychelles islands.
Officials say a fire on board caused the ship's engines to fail. There have been no reports of injuries.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.voanews.com ...
I saw that as well. The coast guard commander ripped the captain a new one over the radio. How he failed to feel
the appropriate amounts of shame is beyond me..
Nobody carries an anchor with enough chain to anchor in the open ocean.
I’ve been on 7 cruises in 7 years, 5 of them have been Norwegian. The first two were on Royal Caribbean, but after one sailing on NCL I knew I’d never cruise anyone else. We’ve never had a bad cruise with them. I’m always planning my next one!
On topic, Costa is having a run of really bad luck. Glad I’m not on the ship.
I see what you mean....
LOL
OK for #2, but those tiny cabin wastebaskets fill fast....
I’ve been amazed at how many people become regular cruisers. We spoke to one couple who had been on 90 cruises, and another was on their 27th. It is a fun way to travel. I’m contemplating a cruise around the Greek Islands in a year or two, assuming the rioters leave something standing & our own economy hasn’t collapsed.
Note to self don't book a cruise on a Coasta ship.
What’s not to love? Unpack once, be pampered in spas, sit by pools, tour different countries, walk beaches, play blackjack in casinos, see shows every night and eat great food - assuming you avoid the buffets.
I’ve been on the Sun (twice), the Dawn (twice) and the Pearl. I’ve never felt overcrowded or rushed on any of them. Our next will be the Epic.
The Greek islands are on our bucket list. Hope it’s still there in the next few years.
How are these ships flagged.
Is the crew European?
Many commercial vessels are flagged in some country of convenience and go out of their way to recruit low-paid illegal immigrants who cannot (a) understand the officers (b) have no idea what they are doing technically, except to use a cell phone to call Ma in Guatemala.
This is a result of screwy euro-taxation. Fire in the engine spaces? Hmm?
My week on the Navigator of the Seas 10 years ago was the maybe the funnest week of my life.
Of course meeting a Fox weather girl the first night and hanging with her and her 2 friends all week helped a bit....
Doh!
I believe NCL is Bahamian-flagged. All cruise ships, with the exception noted in the next paragraph, are multi-cultural, but I’ve never noticed a language barrier with those that interact with the passengers. Certainly the cooks and below-deck workers would be less multi-lingual. Costa has a particular problem in that most of the passengers are European, and as such don’t “queue-up” well, or follow instructions like us sheeple. This can be a disadvantage in times of emergency.
A very pointed exception is NCL’s Pride of America. This ship is, I believe, US-flagged. Because it only hops the Hawaiian islands, they are required to employ only US citizens. As a rule, the ship employees are rude, unhelpful and unwilling to go an extra mile to get a larger tip. I’ve heard horrible reviews about this ship, and I’d never sail on it.
Those two ships look absolutely amazing.
We had the same issue with RCL Sovereign of the Seas. It was our first and second cruise. The first cruise we were in awe of everything...the second time we noticed the broken clocks poolside that were never fixed, broken fixtures and out of order signs on bathrooms...little things. The Sovereign went through an overhaul after that, then was retired. She was probably a grand old lady in her time, but the newer, bigger ships took precedence.
Mr. melissa_in_ga wants to take a road-trip to the West next year. I’ll miss him while I’m on my cruise!
The following is the statement from Costa Cruises:
Costa Cruises has been informed that today at 10:39, Italian time, a fire developed on board Costa Allegra in the engine room, the local electric generators located at the stern. Procedures and the system of fire board were promptly activated and the special brigades of the board have occurred, the fire was extinguished and did not extend to any other area of the ship.
There were no injuries or casualties. As a precaution on board was promptly given the general emergency alarm, all passengers and crew members, not involved in emergency management, they went to muster stations with the safety equipment required. Currently the ship is over 200 miles south-west of the Seychelles and about 20 miles from Alphonse Island, are ongoing checks on the state of the engine room to be able to restart the equipment necessary to reactivate the functionality of ship. As per procedures, were advised the competent authorities, including the Maritime Rescue Control Centre of Rome, who are following the developments of the situation to give the necessary support. The ship launched a distress signal.
The Company and the competent authorities are working to provide the ship with the necessary support in light of developments. On the site are oceangoing tugs and other support. On board are 636 passengers of various nationalities and 413 crew members. The ship, which departed Saturday, February 25 from Diego Suarez, was directed to the port of Victoria (Mahé, Seychelles ) where she was scheduled to arrive tomorrow, February 28.
Costa Allegra, built in 1992 by Mariotti shipyards in Genoa, is 28,597 tons, and 188 meters long. With a maximum capacity of 1400 people, has eight passenger decks and 399 cabins.
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