Stricken liner 'to dock tomorrow'

Feb 29 2012

Passengers aboard the Costa Allegra cruise liner that was left without power after a fire are expected to reach land on Thursday.

The vessel, which is operated by the same company involved in the Costa Concordia tragedy, was cast adrift in the Indian Ocean after the blaze broke out in an electric generator room on Monday.

The stranded travellers - who include 31 Britons - were earlier being towed to Desroches, a small, coral-lined island in the Seychelles, and were due to reach it by Wednesday morning.

However, Costa Cruises later announced they could not disembark there as it was not safe enough and the ship would instead be taken to the main Seychelles island of Mahe.

The change of plan was disclosed after guests had been asked to prepare their luggage so as to be ready for the earlier time of disembarkation.

The company said in a statement: "Costa Cruises informs that in view of extensive and accurate checks carried out with local maritime experts' support, in order to ensure the safety of our guests on board, the disembarkation on Desroches island cannot be performed and therefore it has been decided that the ship will be towed to Mahe/Seychelles.

"The disembarkation in Desroches does not assure the necessary and adequate security conditions for mooring the ship and guests' disembarkation. In addition, logistics and hotels on the island are not enough."

Costa Cruises said helicopters would ensure the continuous supply of food, comfort items and flashlights to "mitigate guests' discomfort given the difficult conditions on board".

It added: "Costa Cruises is working with all the authorities responsible for the co-ordination of the emergency to ensure the best possible assistance to all our guests and make their discomfort as short as possible and to reach their next destination. The company is sincerely sorry for the inconvenience. Absolute priority is to make it as short as possible."

The ship was being towed by the French ocean fishing vessel Travignon and two tugs after its engines, lights and air conditioning were left with no power. The incident came after the Costa Concordia cruise liner, also operated by Costa Cruises, struck rocks off the west coast of Italy on January 13, leaving a death toll expected to reach 32.