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Fire causes five-hour engine failure, blackouts on cruise ship off Moroccan coast

No one was hurt in the fire, which caused engine failure for up to five hours as passengers endured blackouts.

By Fred Lambert
The deck of the Boudicca, which suffered an engine fire on January 25, 2015, causing it to list powerlessly for hours. Photo by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
The deck of the Boudicca, which suffered an engine fire on January 25, 2015, causing it to list powerlessly for hours. Photo by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines

CASABLANCA, Morocco, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A fire in the engine of a cruise ship sailing off the coast of Morocco Sunday morning caused the vessel to "list" without power for up to five hours, according to a statement from the cruise line and reports from family members of those on board.

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines said in a statement that an engine fire occurred in a cruise ship called the "Boudicca" just after 4 a.m. as it sailed off the coast of Casablanca, Morocco.

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"There have been no injuries to any of Boudicca's 784 guests and 356 crew members, and there is reported to be a good atmosphere on board," the statement reads. "The ship's Master has confirmed that at no point were guests asked to don their life jackets and gather at the muster stations, as the situation was contained within the engine room by our crew members."

The ship was without power for up to five hours, according to the BBC, which also reported that family members of some of the passengers received messages indicating the vessel was "pitch black" and was "listing" -- a nautical term for when a ship tilts to one side, usually due to flooding or improper weight distribution of cargo.

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"The texts said, 'no engines, fire in the engine room, there's smoke, we're in life jackets and the captain says everything is under control,'" Gavin Poole, whose elderly parents were on board, told the BBC. "I spoke to my parents a bit later at 7:30 a.m. and they were in their cabin still in their life jackets. The fire was out, but half of the ship had power and the other half didn't, and it was listing."

The cruise line said the Boudicca is now traveling "at a slower speed than planned" toward the Canary Islands, where necessary repairs to the engine can be made. The Fred Olsen statement said that services on the ship were operating normally, "and guests are enjoying the usual activities on board, both inside and out on deck."

Last month an engine fire on an Oceania Insignia cruise ship docked at the island of St. Lucia killed three people.

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