[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17183134

An Italian cruise ship with more than 1,000 people on board is without power in the Indian Ocean following a fire.

The Costa Allegra is adrift more than 200 miles southwest of the Seychelles, near Alphonse Island.

The ship is from the same fleet as the Costa Concordia, which capsized off the Italian coast in January, killing 32.

Costa Cruises said in a statement that the fire broke out in the electric generators' room. It did not spread and there were no injuries or casualties.

Inspections of the state of the engine room are on-going, the company says.

Ship immobilised

Tugs and "other naval and aerial units" will reach the ship, which has sent out a distress signal, Costa Cruises says.

Commander Cosimo Nicastro of the Italian coast guard told the BBC that it took the crew a few hours to extinguish the fire.

Although the ship is in the middle of the Indian Ocean, there are no problems for the passengers, he said

The Seychelles' maritime authority is sending a ship, power boats and aircraft to the Costa Allegra because she cannot move.

They probably need to tow the ship to a Seychelles port, he said.

There are 636 passengers and 413 crew on board the Costa Allegra, which left Madagascar on Saturday.

Costa Cruises will be going cheap next year .....

[arista]

Better crew on this one.

They will get help soon.

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17186829

An Italian cruise ship left adrift in the Indian Ocean with more than 1,000 people on board following a power failure has been taken in tow.

A French fishing vessel is taking the Costa Allegra to a small island in the Seychelles, where it is expected to arrive on Wednesday.

The BBC's Katy Watson on the Seychelles says that the ship is being towed to Desroches island, near Alphonse island, at the south-west end of the Seychelles.

Once there the passengers will be disembarked to the one hotel on the island, and then await transfer by air to the main Seychelles island of Mahe.

That process could prove lengthy, since only planes with a capacity of 20 passengers can land on Desroches.

Tugs sent from Mahe were due to meet the Costa Allegra at around 0900 GMT, our correspondent adds.

The vessel has no air-conditioning or cooking facilities and an emergency generator powering the radio "could fail at any minute", the Italian coast guard says.

Earlier, Commander Cosimo Nicastro, from the Italian coast guard, confirmed that the French-registered ocean-going trawler had reached the ship.

636 "guests" suddenly deposited on a tiny island with one small, but luxurious, hotel (approx 20 beach suites) then having to take their turn in a queue for a place on 1 of 32 flights out - nightmare or adventure .....

[Omah]

Stricken Costa cruise ship changes course to bigger Seychelles island, not expected before Thursday

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17186829

A statement from the ship's owners Costa Cruises said that after checking with maritime experts, it had decided that the planned disembarkation on the smaller-but-nearer Desroches Island could not go ahead.

It said the facilities on the island were inadequate to cope with the arrival of so many people.

The statement also said it was not safe enough for the ship to dock in the small port and for guests to get ashore.

The ship will now be towed around 250km (155 miles) further to the island of Mahe, which is home to the capital and largest city, Victoria.

Common sense prevails .....