Another Cruise Ship Left Powerless Due to Fire
A fire broke out in the engine room of Pullmantur Cruises’ Zenith ship, partially disabling it. The vessel had to be towed into an Italian port.
Fortunately, there were no injuries as a result of the blaze. The flames reportedly erupted around 4 a.m. on Tuesday, as the ship was travelling between Ravenna and Venice. There were a total of 2,272 people onboard during the incident – 600 crewmembers and 1,672 passengers.
The Zenith’s crew was able to successfully extinguish the fire, but the vessel still lost power and was forced to anchor less than 20 miles outside of its planned destination. It was later towed into a port in Venice with the assistance of four tugboats.
Pullmantur has not yet made an official statement on the incident. According to Cruise Critic, they have chartered a fleet of planes to get the passengers onboard safely home. Passengers will also receive a complete reimbursement for their ticket, as well as any imposed transportation costs moving forward.
The ship is supposed to be repaired dockside in Venice. It has not been confirmed whether further cruises will be canceled.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
The Zenith, built in 1992, is scheduled to move to French cruise line, Croisieres de France, in 2014. Pullmantur Cruises is a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean.
Source: http://www.maritime-executive.com/
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