Fire Damaged Azamara Quest, Based In Miami, Limps Into Malay Port
SANDAKAN, MALAYSIA (CBSMiami) - Passengers were smiling with relief Sunday as their cruise ship, operated by a division of Miami's Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, limped into a Malaysian port after fire heavily damaged an engine room. Nobody was hurt, but passengers broiled in without AC even after some power was restored.
The ship is the Azamara Quest, a 1 thousand passenger liner operated by Azamara Club Cruises of Miami. 590 passengers and 411 crew members were aboard, according to information supplied by the captain to the Philippine Coast Guard. 201 of the passengers are American, but it's not known if any are from South Florida.
Fire struck the engine room Friday night, and while passengers were concerned, they said they were never in danger and were kept well informed by the captain and crew.
There were reports some crew members suffered from smoke inhalation.
Reporters were kept away from the area where passengers were arriving.
Azamara president Larry Pimentel is expected to meet with the passengers and crew in Sandakan by Monday.
The company said the cruise would be canceled, each guest would get a full refund, and all passengers would get a certificate for a free future cruise.
Engineers on Saturday morning restored electricity in the ship to re-establish essentials including running water, plumbing, refrigeration and food preparation, the company said.
It's been a tough time for Miami's cruise line operators. 32 people died when the Costa Concordia, operated by a unit of Doral's Carnival Cruise Line, ran aground and partially sang near the Italian Island of Gimli. 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.
Azamara positions itself as a luxury brand and operates just 2 ships, the now-damaged Quest and the Azamara Journey.
