Update on cruise ship Costa Allegra
Tuesday, February 28th 2012
Time 7.00 pm (CET)
Today afternoon, around 12.30 pm CET (3:30 pm local time) the two tugs reached the Costa Allegra to assist the ship as well as the second Ocean fishing vessel. Costa Allegra continues to be towed by ocean fishing ship flying French flag “Trévignon” and maintains a speed of about 6 knots. At current speed and with stable weather conditions Costa Allegra may also anticipate its arrival in Mahé on March 1 early morning.
Tomorrow, the arrival of an helicopter will be the expected to deliver flashlights (about 400) and fresh bread, since on board it is not possible to cook it, while there is no lack of food and other comfort items.
Also thanks to the arrival of a small generator, carried by a Navy ship present on site as support, the ship crew is doing everything possible to make the situation on board more comfortable trying to restore basics services on board. The speed of the ship, despite the hot and humid climate, creates a slight breeze that helps making the situation more comfortable.
Meanwhile, today early afternoon, Costa Cruises‘s "Care Team" has arrived in Mahé: a group of 14 people made up of executives and qualified managers as well as specialized technicians with the task of providing the necessary assistance both to the ship and to passengers as well as to crew members on their arrival in Mahé.
Eight of them will board Costa Allegra tomorrow morning thanks to a local Navy ship to meet Guests and discuss with them all the necessary arrangements and to assist the ship’s staff in deeper technical inspections. Together with Costa “Care Team”, there will be two officers from Seychelles Immigration to smooth checks and procedures.
Time 1.00 pm (CET)
Costa Cruises informs that in view of extensive and accurate checks carried out with local maritime experts’ support, in order to ensure the safety of our guests on board, the disembarkation on Desroches island cannot be performed and therefore it has been decided that the ship will be towed to Mahé / Seychelles. The disembarkation in Desroches does not assure the necessary and adequate security conditions for mooring the ship and guests’ disembarkation. In addition, logistics and hotels on the island are not enough: it would require an immediate transfer from Desroches to Mahé through Ferries after disembarking the ship through tenders. Thus the ship will be towed to Mahé, also with the assistance of two tugs that are approaching the ship and that would allow to increase the speed. The arrival in Mahé expected during the morning (local time) on Thursday, March 1, just few hours after the possible arrival to Mahé from Desroches through Ferries. Helicopters will ensure continuous supply of food, comfort items, flashlights in order to mitigate guests discomfort given the difficult conditions on board. Costa Cruises is working with all the Authorities responsible for the coordination of the emergency, to ensure the best possible assistance to all our guests and make their discomfort as short as possible and to reach their next destination. The Company is sincerely sorry for the inconvenience: absolute priority is to make it as short as possible.
Time 09.30 am (CET)
The risk of fire is the one traditionally considered most seriously risk on board a ship or a boat and is therefore the subject of special preventive measures, training of personnel and plans for active protection. All ships, from the design and building stages in the yard, are built using criteria and materials making them safe and reliable from the point of view of fire prevention.
As provided for by the various international regulations and the Company’s procedures, all fire protection systems and equipment are subjected to regular tests, trials and inspections.
In the event of a fire, the ship’s structure itself is designed in order to isolate the fire, thus making it more manageable and less dangerous. To this end the ship is divided into main vertical areas, separated by special metal bulkheads of large thickness equipped with special fire doors with the same characteristics as the bulkheads, which, once closed, manually or from the navigating bridge, are fire-retarding divisions.
The ventilation, air extraction and conditioning ducts are equipped with special fire dampers which automatically close in the event of high temperature in order to stop the air flow, in order to avoid to feed the fire.
All ship spaces, including crew and passenger accommodation spaces, are equipped with fire detectors automatically signalling the presence of smoke or high temperature to the navigating bridge. Moreover, any person aboard can signal the outbreak of a fire by means of the numerous manually operated alarms located throughout the vessel.
If the temperature reaches high levels, thousands of sprinkler heads (atomisation plants/sprinklers), located on ceilings, are automatically activated. Some particularly hazardous spaces are protected by fixed fire-extinguishing systems (i.e. carbon dioxide for machinery spaces, steam for the galley kitchenette hoods, nebulized water for the deep-fryer, etc.). Throughout the vessel and in all spaces there are also hundreds of portable fire extinguishers of different kinds (for use in different types of fires) and permanent stations equipped with fire hoses connected to a pressurised water plant. The effectiveness of all fire-fighting equipment is ensured by regular maintenance and testing according to a precise schedule with set intervals.
Fire-fighting teams, consisting of highly qualified trained experts are always aboard and take part in regular drills. In addition, all crewmembers participate in practical training sessions and theory courses during which they are taught how to react in case of fire or smoke, the use of fire-fighting equipment and procedures to be followed.
These measures allowed to bring promptly under control and extinguish the fire broke out in the local generators on Costa Allegra.
Time 08.30 am (CET)
An helicopter took off from Mahè this morning and it is arriving to the area where Costa Allegra is located, bringing to the ship both food and communication devices (satellite phones and VHF radios). The weather is good. Guests were invited to prepare their luggage in order to be ready for the time of disembarkation. The ship is expected to arrive to Desroches island tomorrow morning.
Time 07.30 am (CET)
Costa Allegra, since tonight, has been towed by the french ocean fishing vessels "Travignon"; route direction is Desroches island. Guests onboard are continuosly informed and assisted by the Captain and the staff onboard; a cold breakfast was served this morning.
Monday, February 27th 2012
Time 00.00 pm (CET)
The French ocean-going fishing ship reached Costa Allegra and the two captains are in radio contact. At dawn Costa will evaluate the assistance operations the fishing vessel can provide.
Time 11.00 pm (CET)
As of 10pm tonight, after having contacted all the 627 passengers contact emergency numbers, Costa Crociere reached families/relatives of 402 passengers on a total of 627 (excluded the 9 italian marines onboard for security reasons). All the crew families/relatives have been contacted directly by the Company or through the manning agent.
Time 10.00 pm (CET)
The first boat expected to reach Costa Allegra during the next few hours is a French-flagged, 295-foot-long (90 meters) ocean-going fishing ship. Another ship of similar size currently is sailing toward Costa Allegra and will join two merchant ships and two tugboats expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon.
Upon arrival of the first ship, its captain will decide how to operate, depending on weather and ship conditions, to best support Costa Allegra. Currently, Costa Allegra is steady and conditions are safe.
Costa Cruises is keeping in touch with guests' families via their emergency-contact numbers. The line also is communicating with the families of crew, most of whom are Italian and eastern European, through local crew-recruiting organizations. Costa Allegra is in compliance with all certificates required by both national and international regulations. Moreover, in October 2011 the ship received its regularly scheduled maintenance in dry dock.
Time 6.30 pm (CET)
The number +39 010 42 06 099 is active.
Time 4.00 pm (CET)
Costa Cruises has been notified today at 10,39 CET that a fire broke out on board the M/V Costa Allegra in the electric generators room located in the aft. The shipboard fire-extinguishing system and procedures were promptly activated and the special fire-fighting squads intervened to extinguish fire. The Fire did not spread to any other area of the ship. There were no injuries or casualties.
As a precaution, on board, it has been promptly given the general emergency alarm and all passengers and crew members - not engaged in the management of the emergency -reached the muster stations with he due safety equipment. Currently the ship is over 200 miles south-west of the Seychelles, and at about 20 miles from Alphonse Island. Inspections on the state of the engine room are on-going, in order to restart the necessary equipment to reactivate the functionality of the ship. According to the procedures, the relevant authorities were alerted, including the Maritime Rescue Control Centre in Rome, which are following the situation ready to provide the necessary support. Costa Allegra sent out the ‘distress’ signal. Costa Crociere and the relevant authorities are active to provide the ship with the necessary support according to the development of the situation.
Costa Allegra is going to be reached by tugs and other naval and aerial units. On board Costa Allegra there are 636 passengers of various nationalities and 413 crew members.
The ship, left Saturday, February 25 Diego Suarez and was cruising towards the port of Victoria (Mahè - Seychelles) where it was expected to arrive tomorrow February 28.
NATIONALITY / NUMBER OF GUESTS
ITALIAN 135
FRENCH 127
AUSTRIAN 97
SWISS 90
GERMAN 38
BRITISH 31
MAURITIAN 15
RUSSIAN 15
SPANISH 15
CANADIAN 13
BELGIAN 13
SLOVENIAN 12
AMERICAN 8
CROATIAN 6
CZECH 4
LATVIAN 3
PORTUGUESE 2
POLISH 2
ROMANIAN 2
BRAZILIAN 2
HUNGARIAN 2
LUXEMBOURGER 1
ALGERIAN 1
URUGUAYAN 1
IRISH 1
GRAND TOTAL 636
Costa Crociere S.p.A. press release