Costa's problems mount

[Cruachan]

Does anyone have any information about a cabin fire that is alleged to have occurred on Costa Voyager while in the Red Sea - possibly on or around 7 February? I can't seem to find any news reports on this and the date is uncertain.

 

J

[G.M.T.]

So how did you hear about it?

 

Ron

[Cruachan]

So how did you hear about it?

 

Ron

 

I found the item on a maritime casualties site that I use to pick up shipping related news items. They were obviously reporting this one retrospectively - the text of the item reads as follows:

 

"In the night of Feb 7, 2012, the "Costa Voyager" suffered a small fire while cruisung in the Red Sea with some 800 passengers on board. The fire had broken out on deck 3 of ship in a cabin. Passengers were awakened at night by an alert message obviously intended for staff and broadcasted in Italian. Passengers reported of scenes of panic in the corridors. Many passengers had their life jackets on, as it was less than three weeks after the sinking of the "Costa Concordia". Staff asked the tourists to return to their cabins, assuring them that the crew had mastered the situation. The fire was quickly extinguished and did not cause much damage: A carpet was burned and there were flooded cabin because of the fire supprerssion system. The captain said that during the brief period of alarm, the situation was always under control with safety devices, and the crew immediately reacted to this situation. The "Costa Voyager" was able to continue its voyage. It was thought the fire started by a smoldering cigarette. "

 

 

J

[G.M.T.]

I haven't heard anything about the incident, will have to see what I cann find out.

 

Like your site, reminded me of the two months I spent in a very cold, bleak and sparse Immingham duing a dock strike in 1967.

 

Ron

[Cruachan]

I haven't heard anything about the incident, will have to see what I cann find out.

 

Like your site, reminded me of the two months I spent in a very cold, bleak and sparse Immingham duing a dock strike in 1967.

 

Ron

 

ROFL!!!

 

All I can say, Ron, is I can think of better places to sit out a dock strike than Immingham! You have my sympathy :D:D

 

I was interested in that little Voyager incident for a number of reasons.

 

One is that I'm not sure why it took that site so long to report it - although I suspect it's based on information from a passenger. Normally when they post stuff like that they link to a news item in the media somewhere, but there was no link on this occasion.

 

Also, Costa Voyager, as she is now known, is the former Grand Voyager which was the Ibero Cruises ship that became a bit of a "film star" by virtue of appearing in the oft quoted YouTube video taken from a rescue helicopter after she lost power in the midst of a really nasty storm in the Med a few years ago. She's built to quite a strange design with the bridge being set very low down (almost at deck level). I seem to remember she was designed to operate in the Baltic where that sort of thing was probably ok. But in bad conditions in the Med a large wave smashed in the bridge windows, flooded all the electronic gear and effectively crippled the ship.

 

J

[Dmetrius]

It was thought the fire started by a smoldering cigarette. "

 

 

J

Ah yes our old friend tobacco smoking in the cabin very clever

[KatetheWanderer]

Ah yes our old friend tobacco smoking in the cabin very clever

 

Raging inferno caused by smoker on the Star Princess.

[littlesteelo]

Raging inferno caused by smoker on the Star Princess.

 

That was unbelievable, the Star fire - I guess it also shows how good the fire suppressant systems on modern cruise ships are - considering how strong that fire was, the area it affected was surprisingly small, and it was restricted to the balcony cabins only, it didn't get any further in. Still a terrifying prospect, being on the ship with that inferno blazing.

[sidari]

Yet another reason why smoking is banned in cabins on NCL and should be on every cruise ship!

[sidari]

Fires not just on Costa ships!

 

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/fires.html