Small Fire Reported Aboard Royal Caribbean's Allure Of The Seas
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) - In what is being seen as another miss-step for the cruising industry, Royal Caribbean's signature ship the Allure of the Seas reported a "small and short-lived engine fire," a spokeswoman told CBS4 News partner The Miami Herald.
The giant vessel, which shares with title of largest cruise shop with its sister ship Oasis of the Seas, was returning to Port Everglades from St. Maartin Friday night when the fire broke out.
"The ship's high fog system was immediately activated, which contained and extinguished the fire," spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez wrote in an email to the paper.
No injuries were reported and the ship is still sailing under its own power. It's expected back in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday.
It's been a tough time for Miami's cruise line operators.
A much smaller ship also owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises, the 694-passenger Azamara Quest, suffered a fire in its engine room in late March that temporarily disabled it five days into a 17-day Asian voyage. The ship drifted off the coast of Borneo with only backup power until workers were able to restore power.
32 people died when the Costa Concordia, operated by a unit of Doral's Carnival Cruise Line, ran aground and partially sank near the Italian Island of Giglio. Passengers complained of massive confusion during evacuation efforts, and the captain has been charged with manslaughter and abandoning ship.
Then, the Costa Allegra caught fire in the Indian Ocean, leaving it adrift and without power for 3 days until it could be towed to port.
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