Rescue teams have been dispatched to fire-hit Costa Cruises ship Allegra drifting over 200 miles off the Seychelles.
The blaze broke out in the electrical generators room of the 20 year old vessel.
The shipboard fire-extinguishing system and procedures were promptly activated. Special fire-fighting squads intervened to extinguish the blaze.
The fire did not spread to any other area of the ship. Costa Allegra sent out a distress signal and the general emergency alarm was sounded.
All passengers and crew not engaged in the management of the emergency reached the muster stations with safety equipment, a company statement said.
Costa confirmed that there are 636 passengers of various nationalities and 413 crew on board the ship. There were no injuries or casualties.
”Inspections on the state of the engine room are on-going in order to restart the necessary equipment to reactivate the functionality of the ship,” the company said.
“The relevant authorities were alerted, including the Maritime Rescue Control Centre in Rome, which is following the situation ready to provide the necessary support.”
Tugs and other naval and aerial units have been dispatched to the ship, drifting over 200 miles south-west of the Seychelles and about 20 miles from Alphonse Island.
The ship left Diego Suarez on Saturday and was cruising towards the port of Victoria for Mahè in the Seychelles where it was expected to arrive tomorrow (February 28).
The incident comes six weeks aftere the Costs Concordia disaster off the Italian island of Giglio.