The cruise ship Azamara Quest, operated by Azamara Club Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises, and carrying 590 passengers and 411 crew, suffered an engine-room fire on 30 March that disabled her engines and left the ship stranded off the southern Philippines coast.
The ship finally reached the harbour of Sandakan city in Malaysia late on 1 April after spending more than a day in pirate waters, according to Malaysian maritime officials.
The fire was put out on 31 March, with five crew members suffering smoke inhalation and one requiring serious medical attention. A flotilla, comprising several Philippine navy ships and a coastguard vessel, escorted the cruise ship into Malaysian waters and to Sandakan.
The ship’s cruise was cancelled with the passengers, mostly from the US and Europe, returning home. She was on a 17-night journey which had departed from Hong Kong.
