Costa Voyager Replacing Allegra in Europe

Costa Voyager Redeploying 

to Mediterranean

Red Sea Voyages Canceled

2012 continues to be a year of cancellations and itinerary shuffling for Costa Cruises, in the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster and the Costa Allegra fire.

In the wake of the Costa Allegra fire, February 27th, Costa Crociere is replacing the 28,500-ton, 1,000-passenger Costa Allegra with the 24,400-ton, 927-guest Costa Voyager, starting March 18.

The company has not determined how long it will take to repair and bring Costa Allegra back into service and restore planned cruises. Costa Cruises continues to conduct inspections and technical evaluations to ascertain what caused the generator-room fire.

Revised Costa Voyager Schedule

March 18 to July 1	various length cruises	French market - Mediterranean and Northern Europe
July 13	9-day cruise	Amsterdam to Savona
July 23 to August 20	7-day Mediterranean	Barcelona,Spain; Villefranche, France; Livorno and Capri, Italy; Malta; Cagliari, Italy and Minorca, Spain
August 28 onward	various length cruises	French market - Mediterranean

About Costa Voyager

Costa Voyager is a new-generation ship that entered service in 2000 and was renovated in November 2011. The ship has 416 cabins, three restaurants, four bars, a spa with fitness center, solarium, swimming pool, two Jacuzzis, theater, casino, disco and shopping center.

Canceled Red Sea Cruises

Costa Cruises is temporarily suspending Costa Voyager’s “Corals and Ancient Treasures” Red Sea itinerary. Guests who have booked this itinerary will be re-protected on equivalent cruises.   

Among the options offered are:

• 7-day UAE "Jewels of the Emirates" cruise - Costa Favolosa
• 7-day Caribbean "Pearls of the Caribbean" - Costa Luminosa
• any 7-day itinerary in western or eastern Mediterranean - Costa Atlantica, Costa Classica, Costa Fascinosa, Costa Favolosa, Costa Magica, Costa neoRomantica or Costa Serena.

Alternatively, guests booked on a Costa Allegra cruise may cancel without penalty and receive a full refund and a voucher equal to 30 percent of the rate paid toward the purchase of a future cruise.

Related Blog Posts:

Costa Allegra Adrift After Engine Fire

Costa Explains Fire Prevention & Fighting at Sea

Costa Allegra Arrives in Seychelles

Costa Allegra Arrives in Seychelles

(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Crippled Ship Arrives in
Port Victoria, Mahé

Images are emerging from Seychelles where the disabled Costa Allegra safely reached port under tow early Thursday morning local time.  By midday, passengers were disembarked and on their way to continue an alternate vacation or back home.

More Photos of Costa Allegra Arrival

Since 10:30 CET Monday, February 27th, the passengers and crew of Costa Allegra were without electricity and the comforts of a usual cruise ship in the wake of a fire that broke out in the generator room.

A French fishing vessel,Trevignon, was the first ship to arrive on the scene and provide assistance to the Costa Allegra. Two other tug boats arrived later to provide assistance, but the captain of the fishing vessel refused to accept the assistance, perhaps delaying the arrival into port. We suspect they were looking for compensation for their assistance and didn't want to split that with anyone else.

Costa Announces Compensation Plan

The number of Guests who have decided to accept Costa Crociere’s offer to continue their holidays in the Seychelles has risen to about 70%, out of a total of 627. These Guests have already been taken to the hotels where there will spend 1 or 2 weeks holiday at the company’s expense on the islands of Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette and Cerfs. Costa Crociere will also organize their return flights home after the holiday.

The remaining 30% of Guests who have decided to return home have been accommodated in hotels on the island. They will leave in the evening on flights organized by Costa Crociere from Seychelles International airport to Paris, to Milan via Rome, and to Zurich via Vienna. The flights are scheduled to arrive on the morning of March 2nd.


The Company, sincerely sorry for the discomfort caused to Guests but happy to have found them in good health, has offered them a compensation package including:

● a full refund of the fare paid for the cruise and associated travel expenses;
● a full refund of on board expenses incurred during the cruise;
● indemnity equivalent to the amount of the fare paid for the cruise and associated travel costs;
● for Guests who have decided not to continue their holday in the Seychelles at the Company’s expense, a voucher for the same value as the unfinished Costa Allegra cruise, for travel free of charge on any Costa ship departing in the coming 24 months.

	Guests aboard Costa Allegra arrived to Seychelles Islands	627
	Guests returned Home (3 flights)	147
	Guests hosted in Seychelles Islands Hotel	480

Costa Thanks Those Involved

Costa Crociere would like to express its gratitude to the master of Costa Allegra Nicolò Alba and all members of the crew, to the Guests of Costa Allegra, to the master and crew of the French deep sea fishing boat Trevignon, to the other naval and air units involved in the rescue operations of the Costa Allegra, to the Italian Harbour Office General Command, to the local authorities of the Seychelles and Reunion, to the Italian Consulate and Embassy, and to international diplomatic representatives.

Happy Ending?

Clearly this story has a much happier ending than that of her sister ship, Costa Concordia, that ran aground off the Italian cost of Giglio.   That accident had 25 confirmed deaths with several people still unaccounted for.  Both situations could have been much worse.

Passengers and crew of both ships found themselves unexpectedly in the midst of a crisis.  There will be much press around the performance of the crew in both situations.  On the surface, it appears that this second incident was closer to textbook preparation for something like this.  I think it's human nature to feel confident and prepared for the unexpected, but until you are in the midst of an emergency, you really don't know how you or anyone around you will respond to the crisis at hand.

We are happy that there was no serious injury or loss of life connected with this fire and have to commend the passengers and crew for their response to this crisis.

Costa Cruises will now begin the process of investigating the fire and determining the extent of the damages to the ship.   They have made no formal statements about future cruises on Costa Allegra at this time.  We will provide updates on this story as information is released.

Costa Explains Fire Prevention & Fighting at Sea

 Preparing for the Worst

The risk of fire is the one traditionally considered to be the most serious risk on board a ship or a boat and is therefore the subject of special preventive measures, training of personnel, and plans for active protection.

Prevention Starts from Ship Building

 All ships, from the design and building stages in the yard, are built using criteria and materials making them safe and reliable from the point of view of fire prevention. As provided for by the various international regulations and the Company’s procedures, all fire protection systems and equipment are subjected to regular tests, trials and inspections.

Detection & Containment

In the event of a fire, the ship’s structure itself is designed in order to isolate the fire, thus making it more manageable and less dangerous. To this end the ship is divided into main vertical areas, separated by special metal bulkheads of large thickness equipped with special fire doors with the same characteristics as the bulkheads, which, once closed, manually or from the navigating bridge, are fire-retarding divisions.

The ventilation, air extraction and conditioning ducts are equipped with special fire dampers which automatically close in the event of high temperature in order to stop the air flow, in order to avoid to feed the fire.

All ship spaces, including crew and passenger accommodation spaces, are equipped with fire detectors automatically signalling the presence of smoke or high temperature to the navigating bridge. Moreover, any person aboard can signal the outbreak of a fire by means of the numerous manually operated alarms located throughout the vessel. If the temperature reaches high levels, thousands of sprinkler heads (atomization plants/sprinklers), located on ceilings, are automatically activated.

Some particularly hazardous spaces are protected by fixed fire-extinguishing systems (i.e. carbon dioxide for machinery spaces, steam for the galley kitchenette hoods, nebulized water for the deep-fryer, etc.). Throughout the vessel and in all spaces there are also hundreds of portable fire extinguishers of different kinds (for use in different types of fires) and permanent stations equipped with fire hoses connected to a pressurized water plant.

Maintenance & Drills

The effectiveness of all fire-fighting equipment is ensured by regular maintenance and testing according to a precise schedule with set intervals. Fire-fighting teams, consisting of highly qualified trained experts are always aboard and take part in regular drills. In addition, all crew members participate in practical training sessions and theory courses during which they are taught how to react in case of fire or smoke, the use of fire-fighting equipment and procedures to be followed.

This Worked with Costa Allegra

These measures allowed the crew to promptly bring the fire, that broke out in the local generators on Costa Allegra, under control and extinguish it before impacting the safety of the passengers and crew.  The captain sounded the general alarm as a precaution and passengers and crew assembled at the muster stations.

Costa Allegra Adrift After Engine Fire

Costa Allegra Without Power 
Adrift Near Seychelles
Following Engine Fire

Costa Cruises continues to be plagued by disaster this year as the 28,500 ton 820 passenger ship experienced a fire in the engine generator room today at 10:39 CET knocking out power to the engines, lights, and air conditioning.  

636 Passengers - 413 Crew Safe           Emergency Phone #

                                                                       (954) 266-5693

Click for Ongoing Updates (below)

The shipboard fire-extinguishing system and emergency procedures were activated promptly and special fire-fighting squads extinguished the fire. As a precaution, the general emergency alarm was sounded and all passengers and crew members not engaged in the management of the emergency reported to their muster stations. The fire did not spread to any other area of the ship and no injuries or casualties were reported. Inspections of the engine room are ongoing to determine if the equipment can be restarted.

Currently the ship is more than 200 miles southwest of the Seychelles and approximately 20 miles from Alphonse Island.  The general area where the ship is located, off the coast of Tanzania, has seen a rash of attacks by Somali pirates recently.   There is an armed nine-member Italian military team on anti-pirate duty onboard the Allegra, as a precaution.   Although there are no immediate threats, they are prepared to respond if necessary.

Tugboats and other naval and aerial units have been dispatched to Costa Allegra. According to standard procedures, Costa Allegra transmitted a distress signal and the relevant authorities were alerted, including the Maritime Rescue Control Center in Rome, Italy. Costa Crociere and the relevant authorities are actively monitoring the situation.

First Responding Ship Arrived

A French-flagged, 295-foot-long (90 meters) ocean-going fishing ship was the first to arrive on the scene of the stricken Allegra.  The two captains are in contact with each other.  At dawn, Costa will evaluate the assistance which can be provided by the fishing vessel.  Additional vessels and aerial support should arrive during the day Tuesday.

 The Costa Allegra is adrift "and being pushed by the current. It is stable and upright," Giorgio Moretti, the director of nautical operations for Costa Crociere SpA, told reporters in a conference call late Monday from company headquarters in Genoa, Italy. 

Costa has reached out to all the families and relatives of the passengers and crew via the emergency contact numbers.  As of late in the evening over 400 of the passenger's families had been notified.  There is an emergency contact number active (above) for those that have not been in direct contact with the company already.

Here is the first video taken of the stricken Costa Allegra by the Indian Navy:

Ongoing Updates

We will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as appropriate.  

Costa Allegra Latest Update  (Costa Cruises update)

Related Blog Posts:

Costa Explains Fire Prevention & Fighting at Sea
Costa Allegra Arrives in Seychelles

UPDATE: 9 MAR 10 PM EST


Carnival CEO Micky Arison announced to Wall Street that Costa Allegra would not return to service.  It will either be sold or scrapped in the wake of the fire.   It had been on the chopping block before the fire, since it is the oldest and smallest ship in the Costa fleet. 

Similar to totaling an old car, following an accident, the company has written off the value of the ship on its books since the cost to repair exceeds its value.


UPDATE: 8 MAR 1 PM EST


The company has not determined how long it will take to repair and bring Costa Allegra back into service and restore planned cruises. Costa Cruises continues to conduct inspections and technical evaluations to ascertain what caused the generator-room fire. 

Costa Voyager will replace Costa Allegra's Mediterranean and Northern Europe cruises starting March 18th thru the summer.  See the following article for complete details.

Costa Voyager Replacing Allegra in Europe
 


UPDATE: 1 MAR 1 PM EST

6.00 pm (CET) - Costa reported the completion of 2 hour disembarkation process by midday local time.  Costa indicated that "Guests and crew are in good health and no critical situations have been found."   The Seychelles Red Cross and consular and embassy officials were in port to assist their citizens.

Costa also reported the compensation package which included extending their vacation, refunds, and future cruise credits. (Details of compensation plan)

According to press reports, passengers described the conditions as hot and dirty due to the lack of power for air conditioning and sanitary needs.  They also indicated an initial organization when the alarm was sounded along with panic, especially among guests that were separated from loved ones at the time.  Fortunately, the crew did their jobs and it wasn't necessary to abandon ship into the lifeboats that had been deployed.

UPDATE: 1 MAR 8:00 AM EST

9:00 AM CET - Costa Allegra docked at Port Victoria - Mahé, Guests disembarkation has started.

After three days at sea without power, Costa Allegra arrived in port and began disembarking passengers. Costa Cruises has a 14-member "Care Team" onsite to assist with the process.  

376 guests out of 627 have accepted Costa Cruises’ proposal to continue their vacation in Seychelles. They will be accommodated at Costa Cruises’ expense, in high-quality hotels on the following islands: Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette and Cerfs. 

Costa Cruises also arranged homeward flights at the end of their vacation. The remaining 251 guests decided to return to their homes on flights arranged by Costa Cruises, departing Mahé Thursday evening, March 1.


In a press conference in Mahe', Seychelles, where the Costa Allegra cruise liner arrived this morning, Costa Allegra Captain Niccolo' Alba reported: the fire was extinguished "in an hour" and the behaviour of all staff members on board was "outstanding". During the press conference broadcast live on SkyTg24, Captain Alba stated "The Costa Allegra staff was great. The behaviour of all staff members on board was "outstanding". Captain Alba also underscored "They all followed my instructions to the letter, and they all behaved as great professionals."



UPDATE: 29 FEB 10:00 AM EST

• expected arrival time in Mahé is 9 AM local time (1 AM EST) Thursday
• situation onboard is stable and weather conditions good
• meals consist of fruit, cold cuts, fresh bread, soft drinks; mineral water available for hygiene 
• hotels and flights have been optioned in preparation for passenger arrival
• "Care Team" onboard Wednesday to plan repatriation with passengers

UPDATE: 28 FEB 2:00 PM EST

•  two additional tug boats and a second fishing vessel have reached Allegra
• a generator was delivered to the ship by the Indian Navy
• ship is maintaining a speed of 6 knots under tow
• a helicopter will deliver flashlights and more bread on Wednesday
• there is no lack of food or comfort items at present
• Costa Cruises‘s "Care Team" has arrived in Mahé (14 member team)
• 8 members of the "Care Team" and 2 Seychelles Immigration Officers to board ship Wed.

UPDATE:  28 FEB 8:00 AM EST


Much has happened since our last update:

• towed by the french ocean fishing vessels "Travignon";  route direction is Desroches island
• guests onboard were served a cold breakfast and kept informed by the captain
• helicopter took off from Mahè bringing to the ship both food and communication devices (satellite phones and VHF radios)
• original plan was to disembark passengers at Desroches island but that was changed to Mahé / Seychelles 
• two additional tugs will assist with the towing to Mahé / Seychelles - ship is scheduled to arrive there on Thursday at 6 am local time
• supplies will be provided by helicopters until the ship arrives in port

The original plans were to tow the ship to Desroches island and disembark the passengers there. In fact, passengers were told to prepare their baggage for arrival in the morning. After review by Costa and other Maritime officials, it was determined that the island didn't have the necessary infrastructure to support the safe disembarkation of the passengers. Also, there was a lack of hotels which would have meant the passengers would have to be ferried to Mahé / Seychelles by tenders. That process would have taken as long as towing the ship directly instead and thus the plans were changed. Additional tugs will be employed to hasten the journey to the new disembarkation point. Helicopters will provide essentials such as food and comfort supplies as needed. 

Costa Cruises is working with all the Authorities responsible for the coordination of the emergency, to ensure the best possible assistance to all our guests and make their discomfort as short as possible and to reach their next destination. The Company is sincerely sorry for the inconvenience: absolute priority is to make it as short as possible. 
 

Despite the bad news that another Costa cruise ship was involved in an emergency situation, it appears that emergency procedures were followed, authorities notified, and the passengers and crew are safe.  Congratulations to the captain and crew for handling the emergency situation without incident.

The ship departed Saturday, Feb. 25, from Diego Suarez, Madagascar, and was cruising toward the port of Victoria (Mahè, Seychelles) where it was scheduled to arrive Feb. 28.