Stranded cruise ship to be towed back to Australia

A cruise liner adrift off the Victorian coast with thousands of passengers on board is not expected to be towed to Melbourne until this afternoon.

Distressed passengers were in tears yesterday, with the ship stranded and their holiday plans in disarray.

The Norwegian Star, which departed from Sydney on February 6 carrying more than 2000 passengers, lost power about 30 kilometres off Cape Liptrap, near Wilsons Promontory, early yesterday morning.

The ship was bound for New Zealand.

It is the second round of engine trouble to strike the ship after it departed from Hong Kong on January 16 for Sydney.

A man phoning from the ship, who did not wish to be named, told Fairfax Media passengers were devastated and crying.

‘‘It’s a bloody nightmare,’’ he said. ‘‘We’re stuck in the middle of the ocean. It’s scary. Especially with Melbourne’s weather being quite changeable.’’

A woman, who also didn’t wish to be named, said her friend was on board the ship and had phoned to tell her about the situation. ‘‘The mood on board is dire,’’ she said.

A spokeswoman for Norwegian Cruise Lines said the ship’s azipod propulsion system had experienced a technical malfunction.

‘‘The ship has full power and all on board services are fully operational,’’ she said. ‘‘All guest amenities remain open and available and the weather conditions are favourable.’’