Norwegian Star breaks down again
Norwegian Star has broken down off the coast of Australia after suffering a failure of its propulsion system for a second time.
The 2,240-passenger ship is waiting to be towed to Melbourne.
She is on a 12-night cruise from Sydney to Auckland, but due to the ongoing mechanical problems, the ship is likely to skip several ports.
NCL said in a statement: "During the early morning hours, Norwegian Star’s azipod propulsion system experienced a technical malfunction and the ship is currently without propulsion approximately 20 miles offshore near Melbourne, Australia.
"The ship has full power and all onboard services are fully operational. All guest amenities remain open and available and the weather conditions are favorable.
"The ship is in no danger whatsoever and the comfort and safety of our guests and crew are unaffected by this situation."
The company said that changes to the current cruise, which departed on February 6 from Sydney, will be confirmed ‘once the ship arrives alongside and a technical team has assessed the repair timeline’.
Passengers are able to remain onboard while the ship is docked, NCL said.
When repairs are completed the ship will continue to Auckland on the revised itinerary. The next cruise, scheduled to depart Auckland on February 18, is expected to operate as originally scheduled, the line said.
The propulsion issues started midway through a 33-night Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand~cruise in mid-January, which led to it cancelling five out of 10 stops.
The 16-year-old ship had suffered a separate mechanical issue last December that affected its other azipod.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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