Sunday, April 1st: The Azamara Quest has safely docked in Sandakan. We will no longer be updating this story, thanks for following along.
12:00pm: Official statement from Azamara has been released…
Engineers onboard Azamara Quest have been able to restore propulsion to the ship.
Azamara Quest is currently sailing directly to Sandakan (Sabah), Malaysia at between three to six knots. Based on this speed, the ship is expected to arrive in Sandakan within 24 to 48 hours.
Larry Pimentel, president and chief executive officer, will be flying to Sandakan in order to meet with Azamara Quest guests and crew personally. Mr. Pimentel is scheduled to arrive in Malaysia on Monday morning, local time.
Unfortunately, five crew members onboard the ship suffered smoke inhalation during the fire. The crew members are being treated in our medical facility. The condition of the one crew member that was more severely injured has improved, but is still serious.
The damage caused by the fire will require us to cancel the rest of Azamara Quest’s voyage once the ship arrives in Sandakan. We encourage guests on the April 12, 2012, sailing of Azamara Quest to monitor this website on Monday, April 2 for an update on your voyage.
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11:20pm: The official distress call from the Azamara Quest now shows that one crew member is in an unstable condition. No word yet on what injuries the crew member may have suffered. Rescue crews are now expected to reach the ship anywhere between 12-15 hours from now.
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6:35pm: Royal Caribbean Intl. has now issued a statement saying that engineers on board have restored air conditioning, water, and toilets. Azamara Quest is still without propulsion and is currently drifting off the coast of Borneo. We will continue to update this story as further details develop.
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6:20pm: Azamara has not yet reported on the condition of crew members on board the Azamara Quest. We are waiting on a statement from Azamara regarding the condition of the crew.
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2:30pm: It is now being reported that the luxury liner, Azamara Quest caught fire just a few hours ago off the coast of Malaysia. AzamaraClub Cruises, which is owned by Royal Caribbean International, has reported that the fire started in the engine room, but is now extinguished.
Azamara has confirmed that there are no injuries, and that the ship is currently running on backup generators until full power can be restored to the ship. The captain of the Quest took the precaution of mustering the guests to their muster stations. There have been no reports yet, if there are any injuries involving the crew who may have been in the engine room when the fire broke out.
Here is the official statement from Azamara regarding the incident:
On Friday, March 30, at approximately 8:19 p.m. ship time, Azamara Quest experienced a fire in the engine room. The fire was contained to the engine room and was quickly extinguished. There were no injuries of guests reported and the atmosphere aboard is calm. However, in an abundance of caution, the Captain initially mustered all guests at their assembly stations. The ship is currently running on generator power until full power can be restored to the engine room.
Azamara Quest is currently on a 17-night sailing that departed Hong Kong, China, on Monday, March 26, and includes port calls to Manila, Philippines; Sandakan (Sabah), Malaysia; Palapo (Sulawesi), Benoa (Bali), Semarang and Komodo, Indonesia and concludes in Singapore on Thursday, April 12.
I will keep you updated as this story continues to develop.
