Azamara Quest Engine Fire
No Guest Injuries Reported
Five Crew Members Injured
Click for Updates (Below)
Azamara Club Cruises is reporting an engine fire broke out on March 30, at approximately 8:19 PM (8:19 AM EST) ship time. The fire was contained to the engine room and was quickly extinguished. There were no injuries of guests reported and the atmosphere aboard is calm. However, in an abundance of caution, the Captain initially mustered all guests at their assembly stations.Power Restored
Engineers onboard Azamara Quest have restored power to one of the ship’s engines. This additional power has permitted the ship to reestablish air conditioning, running water, plumbing, refrigeration and food preparation onboard for the comfort of our guests and crew. While the ship does not have propulsion capabilities at this time, it is in the process of being repaired.
Ship's Location
Azamara Quest is still located 200 miles off the coast of Balikpapan (Borneo), Indonesia, in calm seas.
Azamara Quest is currently on a 17-night sailing that departed Hong Kong, China, on Monday, March 26, and includes port calls to Manila, Philippines; Balikpapan (Borneo), Palapo (Sulawesi), Benoa Bali, Semarang and Komodo, Indonesia and concludes in Singapore on Thursday, April 12.
Updates
Azamara Quest - April 24, 2012 sailing
April 17, 2012, 5:00 pm E.S.T.
Azamara Quest engine damage has been repaired and the ship is heading for Mubai, India for the next scheduled sailing, April 24th. Read more ... Azamara Quest Resuming Cruises
Guests who have any additional questions regarding Azamara Quest may call toll free 1.888.829.4050 from the United States and Canada. Guests outside the United States may call direct or collect to 1.408.916.9001.
Crew Member Recovering
Azamara Club Cruises reports: "We are pleased to report that the condition of the Azamara Quest crew member that was more severely injured continues to improve. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with our crew member and his family. Azamara Club Cruises would like to thank everyone for their thoughtfulness and concern regarding our injured crew member."
April 11, 2012, 10:30 a.m. E.S.T.
Azamara Quest arrived in Singapore ahead of schedule, and the repairs to the damage caused by the engine room fire are proceeding as planned. We continue to be pleased with the progress that has been made on the ship, and are on schedule to complete the necessary work before Azamara Quest’s next scheduled sailing from Mumbai (Bombay), India on Tuesday, April 24.
Current Cruise to Terminate
April 12th Sailing Also Cancelled
Azamara Club Cruises will continue to closely monitor the situation
onboard Azamara Quest and provide updates on their Facebook Page and Website. The following Alert Page has been established as well:
Azamara Quest - March 26, 2012 sailing April 4, 2012, 2:00 p.m. E.S.T.
Since Sunday, April 1, Azamara Quest has remained in Sandakan while teams onboard assessed the damage caused by the engine fire, and gather the necessary information in order to make a decision regarding the next voyage. Assessment such as these can be complicated, and all facts must be gathered before a decision can be reached.
Unfortunately, due to the time needed to repair the damage caused by the fire, it is necessary to cancel Azamara Quest’s next voyage, which was scheduled to depart Singapore on April 12. "We do not take any decision that impacts our guests’ vacations lightly, and are deeply sorry that this unexpected development has affected those guests’ upcoming vacation." said Azamara's statement.
They will be notifying impacted guests directly or through their travel agents.
April 3, 2012, 5:30 p.m. E.S.T.
A team of engineers continues to assess the situation onboard Azamara Quest and gather the necessary information in order to make a decision regarding the next voyage. The official statement indicates that they don't take a decision that impacts guests vacation plans lightly.
Meanwhile, all passengers have left for Singapore onboard five chartered planes. They will continue their vacation in hotels arranged by the cruise line.
April 2, 2012, 5:00 p.m. E.S.T.
Teams onboard Azamara Quest continue to assess the damage caused by the engine fire. Azamara officials anticipate receiving a full assessment late this evening that will provide them with sufficient information to make a decision regarding the next voyage.
April 1, 2012, 10:30 a.m. E.S.T.
Azamara Quest arrived at Sandakan (Sabah), Malaysia, on April 1, 2012, at approximately 9:23 p.m. local time.The seriously injured crew member was transferred to the hospital.
Guests have the option of staying on the vessel, which has no air conditioning at present, or be transferred to Singapore where they can continue their vacation in hotels that are being set up.
"I would like to sincerely thank our amazing Azamara Quest guests for their patience and understanding,” said Larry Pimentel, president and chief executive officer of Azamara Club Cruises. “We
understand that this was a difficult journey, and we appreciate their
upbeat and positive attitude. We look forward to welcoming them back
soon.”
“I would also like to commend the crew onboard Azamara Quest, not
just for their valiant and courageous efforts during the fire, but for
the way they have worked tirelessly to make our guests as happy and
comfortable as possible until the ship arrived in port. The entire crew
has been absolutely brilliant, and I couldn’t be prouder of the
exemplary way each and every one of them responded to this incident.”
Cruise Critic members who were onboard, have posted about their experiences. They indicate that it was a serious situation and that there was some confusion, especially with smoke filling parts of the ship forcing them to muster in other areas.
One member writes that the food was basic due to the limited power. While at the muster station, they had asked the Chef what they would be eating the rest of the cruise. The chef replied " smoked fish, smoked chicken and smoked beef". They commented that the comic sense of humor was appreciated by the passengers.
March 31, 2012, 9:30 a.m. E.S.T.
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.
March 30, 2012, 11:30 p.m. E.S.T.
Engineers onboard Azamara Quest continue to work on restoring propulsion to the ship. Once they have restored the ship’s propulsion, Azamara Quest will sail directly to Sandakan (Sabah), Malaysia.
When propulsion has been restored to the ship, Azamara will be able to provide an estimated time of arrival. Until then, they will be working with our guests to determine how to best assist them with next steps and travel arrangements.
Larry Pimentel, president and chief executive officer, will be flying to Sandakan in order to meet with Azamara Quest guests personally. Mr. Pimentel is scheduled to arrive in Malaysia on Monday morning, local time.
5 Crew Suffer Smoke Inhalation Injuries
Unfortunately, five crew members onboard the ship suffered smoke inhalation during the fire. The crew members are being treated in our medical facility. However, one crew member is more seriously injured and requires additional and urgent medical attention that can only be provided in a hospital. Once the ship arrives in Sandakan, the crew member will be immediately transported to a local area hospital.
Cancellation of Rest of Cruise
Update for Next Sailing (Apr 12) on Monday
The damage caused by the fire will require the cancellation of the rest of Azamara Quest’s voyage once the ship arrives in Sandakan. Guests on the April 12, 2012, sailing of Azamara Quest are encouraged to monitor Azamara Club Cruises' Facebook Page or website on Monday, April 2 for an update on their voyage.
Azamara is offering guests on the stricken ship a full refund for the cruise and a certificate for a future cruise worth 100% of the cruise fare paid for their March 26, 2012, Azamara Quest sailing.
Contact Info
If you have specific questions regarding Azamara Quest, you may call toll free 1.888.829.4050 from the United States and Canada. Guest outside the United States may call direct or collect to 1.408.916.9001.
We will continue to monitor this developing story.
About Azamara Quest
Azamara Quest is one of the R-Ships,TM of the fleet from Renaissance Cruises®
| Ship Profile
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Itineraries & Pricing
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| Ship Profile & Stats | ||||
| Maiden Voyage | 2000 (Refurbished: 2007) | Passengers (dbl) | 684 | |
| Tonnage | 30,277 Tons | Normal Crew Size | 350 | |
| Length | 593 feet | Crew Nationality | N/A | |
| Beam | 95 feet | Nationality of Officers | N/A | |
| Draft | 18 feet | Nationality of Dining Staff | N/A | |
| Speed | 22 knots | Registration Country | Malta | |
We are happy to hear no guests were injured in this accident, and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured crew members.
Safety of guests and crew are of utmost concern to cruise lines. Fire is the biggest danger on a ship and crews train on a regular basis. It would appear that the training paid off here, as the fire was contained to the engine room and quickly extinguished.
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