Cruise Ship Azamara Quest Repaired And Sailing To Malaysia

Adrift Cruise Ship Carrying Sixty Britons Repaired And 'Sailing Directly To Malaysia'

Cruise ship Azamara quest, which had 100 Britons on board and was drifting after a fire in the seas south of the Philippines has been repaired and is now sailing towards Malaysia.

The luxury Azamara Quest, carrying around 1,000 passengers, has had power and propulsion restored following the fire in one of the ship's engine rooms yesterday.

A statement from Azamara Club Cruises, the ship owners, said: "Engineers onboard Azamara Quest have been able to restore propulsion to the ship.

"Azamara Quest is currently sailing directly to Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia at between three to six knots.

"Based on this speed, the ship is expected to arrive in Sandakan within 24 to 48 hours."

No passengers were injured in the incident but five crew members on board the ship suffered smoke inhalation.

The condition of one crew member who was more severely injured has improved but is still "serious" the statement added.

The news of the repair came after Jeremy Scott, of Pinner, Middlesex, praised the crew on board the ship and said the passengers were displaying the "Dunkirk spirit".

Mr Scott said his parents, Valerie and Billy Scott had phoned him this morning from the ship to tell him they are "fine".

"There is no panic, everybody is fine and they are just getting on with it. It is the Dunkirk spirit and they are making the best of the situation," he said.

"The crew have been brilliant, they have done everything right."

Mr Scott, who owns the luxury travel company B away, said it was the 60th cruise that his 71-year-old retired financial adviser father and 70-year-old mother, from Chigwell, Essex, had embarked on.

The incident comes after the Costa Concordia liner ran into a reef and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio in January leaving 25 people dead and seven more missing and presumed dead.

Six weeks later another Costa cruise ship, the Costa Allegra, was left adrift off the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean after fire broke out on board.

"People with concerns about friends or family can find further information on the Azamara Quest Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/AzamaraClubCruises their website http://www.azamaraclubcruises.com or by contacting the Azamara Quest helpline on 001 408 916 9001."

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