All passengers and crew have
survived a two-day sailing to
Borneo after an engine-room
fire left the ship adrift and
without power.
IT was only two weeks ago that Azamara
Club Cruises’ Senior Vice President Edie
Bornstein visited Sydney to report the
popularity of its voyages among Australians.
Eighty-nine of those Australians (and 14 New
Zealanders) were onboard Azamara Quest on
the weekend when a fire broke out while
sailing in the Sulu Sea, near the Philippines.
Speaking to Cruise Weekly about the issue
of safety at sea, Bornstein said that lessons
had been learned from the tragic capsizing of
the Costa Concordia in January.
“The good thing to come out of it was that it
found flaws that needed to be better adhered
to,” she said.
Bornstein emphasised Azamara’s
commitment to its guests: “Our mantra is
safety first.”
This mantra was upheld this week, according
to reports from passengers on Azamara Quest,
which arrived at 9.23pm last night (01 April) at
the port of Sandakan, in Sabah, on the northeastern
coast of Malaysian Borneo.
An Australian passenger reported that the
situation was handled “very professionally”,
with the captain providing regular updates
and the crew handing out water and assisting
guests with their needs.
Power and propulsion were restored within
a few hours and it was only the lack of airconditioning
that made the cruise
uncomfortable, the passenger said.
One crew member was diagnosed by the
ship’s doctor with “prolonged heat and smoke
exposure” and has been transported to the
local hospital, while four others suffered
smoke inhalation.
The rest of the 17-day cruise, originally
scheduled from Hong Kong to Singapore, has
been cancelled, but passengers have the option
to stay onboard the ship while it is docked in
Sandakan or to transfer to a local hotel.
They have also been offered a refund and a
future credit for 100% of the fare.
The company’s president and CEO, Larry
Pimentel, is flying into Sandakan today to
inspect the ship and thank “our amazing
guests for their patience”, he said.
An announcement will be made today
regarding the status of the next sailing (12
April) of Azamara Quest.
