Happy ending for all on cruise ship
VICTORIA, Seychelles: Hot and tired passengers disembarking from a disabled cruise ship in the Seychelles yesterday said they had prepared to abandon ship when fire broke out in the engine room four days ago.
The blaze left the vessel adrift in waters prowled by pirates.
Lifeboats were even lowered, passengers said.
Austrian Thomas Foaller said some passengers began to panic. Couples that were separated were calling out to each other, he said.
Among them were American couple Gordon and Eleanor Bradwell of Athens, Georgia. They were separated when Eleanor went to the couple’s room to get a life vest. A crew member had handed the 72-year-old Gordon his own.
But the fire that broke out on Monday was brought under control and the more than 1 000 people wound up staying aboard the Costa Allegra, which suddenly had no engine power, no air conditioning and no running water for showers or toilets.
Eleanor Bradwell said that the initial response to the alarm seemed to be disorganised, but overall she and her husband felt the shipping line had handled the emergency well.
“It could have been worse than it was,” said Gordon Bradwell. “It could have been disastrous ... we’re here, we’re alive.”
The couple ate sandwiches for three days and moved their bedding onto the deck to escape the stifling heat after the fire left the Costa Allegra without power.
“The toilets were running over, there was no electricity. It was very hot,” said Eleanor Bradwell.
The couple said they realised the alarm must be real when it went off on Monday because they had already done the drill. When the fire first broke out, passengers were directed to put on their life jackets and go to stations on the deck, they said. Life boats were lowered, but no one got in after the fire was contained.
Dozens of officials flocked to the port to help passengers ashore, a couple of whom applauded as the ship approached land.
The Seychelles Red Cross set up tents to assist any passengers needing medical help and embassy and consular officials were at the port to receive their citizens. Tour operators lined up dozens of buses to take passengers to either the airport or a Seychelles resort.
Disembarkation of the more than 1 000 people onboard was expected to take several hours.
The cause of the fire is unknown and a French fishing vessel towed the cruise ship to the Seychelles.
US Consular Agent Travis Jensen said he was at the docks to help ensure the health and safety of Americans onboard.
“The focus of the operation is to get them a warm meal and a shower,” said Guillaume Albert, head of Creole Travel Service. “I think the happy ending is the people coming off the boat.”
The fire came only six weeks after the Costa Concordia, owned by the same company, hit a reef and capsized off Italy, killing 25 passengers, leaving seven missing and presumed dead.
The Allegra, whose Italian name means “merry,” or “happy,” left northern Madagascar on Saturday. The liner was carrying 413 crew members and 627 passengers, including 212 Italians, 31 Britons and eight Americans.
About 375 people are taking advantage of the company’s offer of a free 15-day vacation in the Seychelles.
“At the moment we have a carnival onand the fact they want to continue their holidays is great for them and great for us,” said Srdjana Janosevic, spokeswoman for the president of the Seychelles. “It means this potentially tragic situation has a happy ending.”