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| Costa Allegra, without power following generator plant fire. |
ROME Monday 27th February 2012 – A fire has broken out in the generator plant area of a 20 year old Italian cruise ship, leaving it without engines and electric power, 200 miles adrift off the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, assistance in the form of sea going tugs, fishing boats and support craft are due to reach the stricken liner by midnight tonight (Monday).
The incident aboard the Costa Allegra, happened six weeks after the Concordia, another Italian cruise ship owned by the same company, capsized off Italy, killing 25 people and leaving seven missing, presumed dead.
Asked about Monday's Costa Allegra accident, Italian Coast Guard Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro told local Television News, that the ship's captain reported to Italian authorities, the blaze was quickly extinguished. the fire however left the cruise liner "without propulsion," leaving the ship, with 636 passengers and 413 crew members aboard, adrift at sea. The ship is expected to drop several sea anchors and await ocean-going tug assistance (around midnight).
Costa Crociere SpA, (Costa Cruises) based in Genoa, Italy, said in a statement that its cruise ship was lying about 20 miles from Alphonse Island, one of the atolls in the Seychelles.
In addition to ocean going tugs, officials said coastguard ships and an aircraft were being despatched to the disabled ship.
The cruise company said that a general emergency alarm was "promptly sounded" as a precaution, and that passengers and crew not involved in the emergency, assembled at the appropriate muster stations. They did not abandon ship.
The Allegra was built in Italy in 1992, the vessel is 615 feet long with eight passenger decks and 399 staterooms.
Contributor: Media, Aviation, Politics & Travel Expert, Broadcaster Julian Bray UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio) G722/APT-X Dual Codecs Glensound C5
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