Stricken cruise ship towed to safety
Costa Concordia’s sister ship the Costa Allegra, which was adrift in the Indian Ocean for several hours, is being towed towards the Seychelles this morning under guard. The ship lost all power yesterday after a fire broke out in the generator room.
Thirty-one Britons are among the 636 passengers onboard who have been left with no air-conditioning, no lighting and no cooking facilities since the blaze, which has now been extinguished. All passengers and crew are reported to be safe in their muster stations and the situation on the ship is said to be calm.
A helicopter from Mahe delivered fresh food and communication devices to the ship this morning.
A French fishing vessel is taking the Allegra to Desroches island south-west of the Seychelles, where it is expected to arrive tomorrow morning.
Somali pirates are known to operate in the area, and although they have never seized a cruise ship there are nine members of the Italian navy’s anti-pirate unit onboard the Allegra as a precaution.
The passengers and crew will be taken to the one hotel on Desroches island to wait for transfers to the main island of Mahe, said reports. This is likely to take some time as only planes with a maximum of 20 seats can land on Desroches, which has little accommodation.
The ship, which is from the same fleet as the Costa Concordia which capsized off the coast of Italy last month, has no power and there are fears an emergency generator powering radio communications could fail.
However, Costa Cruises stressed the ship was steady. The company said it had managed to reach the relatives of two-thirds of passengers via their emergency contact numbers and relatives of 413 crew members have also been kept informed of the incident.
Families in the UK can call the company’s emergency line on 020 7940 3300.
The ship left Madagascar on Saturday and it was due to arrive in the Seychelles on Tuesday. Further destinations on its itinerary include Alexandria and Naples in the Mediterranean.
Costa has not yet said what compensation will be offered to the stranded passengers, or what arrangements it is making for passengers booked to travel on future Costa Allegra departures.
By Linsey McNeill
Do you have passengers stranded on the Costa Allegra? How is this latest incident affecting cruise bookings? Have you say by clicking on the Comment button below.
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
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026